Developements
by allroadslead2coffee
Summary: Things are about to change between Leon and TChan, as well as Leon and Count D. TChan and TenChan practice being detectives without a license, but is it already too late? Slightly AU:before Chris,so things WILL be different when he does arrive...
1. Shortcake

**TITLE**: Developments

**GENRE**: Mystery/Suspense/AU(slightly)

**TIME**: Between the first (Dual) and second (Daycare) story of Volume 5.

**MAIN CHARACTERS**: Leon, D, T-Chan, Q-Chan, and Ten-Chan

**SUMMARY**: Murder victims are showing signs that a serial killer is in the city. The victims have three days to live from the time they're abducted by their killer. This turns the case into a race against time, because there could be a chance that a life may be hanging by a thread--_right now_. If that weren't bad enough, Leon's instincts are sending him messages that are driving him to a point he may not be able to handle...by himself. A lot of new things about the dear detective come to light to a special few.

A/N: I have a LiveJournal account as: stress100, and an InsaneJournal one as: allroads2coffee. I may be posting parts to this and other stories there, either before they're finished enough to post here, or too far ahead in the story. I'd also be more than happy to answer questions if you don't mind spoilers.

**Latest Revisions: (06-11-2008) Chapter titled 'Phantom and Angel' has had the first 8 parts compiled, although part 9 and 10 are separate.  
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Disclaimer: Pet Shop of Horrors isn't mine, and I'm making no money from this fiction work.

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Chapter 1 - Shortcake

**Note**: This first chapter is my _**extended**_ ending for the first episode (Dual) in Volume 5.

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"Roger Standford was in an accident?!" Leon stood in his chief's doorway, demanding confirmation of the steadily growing buzz that was traveling throughout the department.

The chief nodded solemnly. "He attempted to stop a bus load of kids and went over the cliff. All the children are unharmed. Stanford's a little banged up, but he pulled through." The elder officer explained with the underlying taint of tragedy in his voice. "His assistant, Kelly Vincent, wasn't so lucky. He was the one driving the car."

The scene of just the day before as Roger Stanford left the Count's pet shop with a trailing cloud of threats flashed though Leon's memory. "D!!" he bellowed the abbreviated name accusingly. In a rush, he was up against the front of the chief's desk. The scent of a 'smoking gun' was thick in his intuitive mind. "The Count's involved in this! I can feel it!"

"Orcot?!" The chief's unworded question as to how Leon could have made such a remarkable jump in logic came through clearly in his voice.

Leon was determined not to waste a moment and finally catch that 'smoking gun' in the pet shop caretaker's hand. "The Count couldn't even sell a gerbil without someone getting killed! –and I saw Stanford and his aide in there just the other day!" His eyes darted feverishly over the surface of the chief's desk as he tried to see in his mind what he should look for. "Somehow, Count D made the bus lose control, knowing that Stanford would try to save it." Already, he was visualizing the event in his imagination, trying to spot something in it that could be linked to the pet shop.

The chief scrutinized the face of his charge, wondering if Leon was working on some sort of grudge, or self-destructive obsession with the Count. "Do you know how ridiculous that sounds, Orcot?!" he nearly screeched at the outlandishness of Leon's idea.

"You get me a warrant, and I'll get you the evidence!" Leon insisted with the fire of relentless conviction in his eyes.

Although Leon seemed disturbingly certain that he would find something, the chief had seen this sort of thing before. With very painfully few exceptions, it almost always ended in disaster. "There's no way a judge is going to issue a warrant based on that idiotic theory." he informed Leon sourly. "We'll get laughed out of court! Christ, Orcot, you can't blame every bad thing that happens on the Count!"

Leon thrust himself away from the chief's desk, eyes still blazing. Taking a step back, he spun himself to the way he'd come in. "If you're not going to get me a warrant, I'll do it myself!" he said hotly.

The chief's eyes narrowed. "That's rich, Leon. How are you going to do that?" Skepticism was thick in his voice.

"Oh, I'll get one," Leon declared obstinately. "Even if it means asking the Mayor!" His long legs quickly propelled him beyond the sanctuary of the daily grind and off to perils unknown.

The drive to the Mayor's was too long and too short at the same time. Each passing minute seemed like it would lessen his grip on whatever proof he had of Count D's involvement with Stanford's 'accident'. By the end of his journey, though, he still had not been able to form a solid idea of what he was about to ask the Mayor, himself, for a warrant to search for.

"Hey!!" The Mayor's secretary nearly shouted at Leon when he didn't so much as glance at her on entrance to her office on a direct course for the door behind her. "What do you think you're doing?!" The derailed woman tried, at the least, to slow the tall, blonde trespasser that had breached her station. "Do you have an appointment?!" She demanded in an effort to regain control of her well-ordered world.

"Don't need one!!" Leon bit out contemptuously, as he twisted his body to bypass the gaping woman. "Outta my way!!" he seethed and grabbed the knob to the 'lion's den'.

"Yo, Mayor!" The young detective swung the Mayor's door open and charged through it like a land-bound kamikaze pilot. His entrance was greeted with a nerve-jarring silence.

The large leather chair behind the large oak desk was turned, mostly, to face the oversized window that was in back of it.

Leon caught sight of an arm on the rest of the extravagant office chair. Covering the arm from the wrist up was, not the crisp dull fabric of a man's suit, but something more like soft, white…satin? He slowed as he reached the expensive looking desk. "Mayor?!" He asked, suddenly unsure if he had made it to the right place.

The chair began to turn towards Leon, with a careless sort of slowness, to reveal a gut-wrenchingly familiar form. "My dear detective…" the seemingly ubiquitous pet shop owner spoke to him in the usual overly-pleasant manner. "So good to see you." There seemed to be a knowing twinkle in the Count's eyes, as though he'd anticipated Leon's very actions up to now.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Count D!" A flustered, aging masculine voice came behind Leon from the door he'd just come in through.

Leon turned to see the Mayor in an eye hurting sharks-tooth suit. In the Mayor's arms was a small Macaroni penguin that reminded Leon of one he'd seen on a few of his 'tea-time' visits at the Chinatown pet shop.

"That's okay." Count D told the Mayor cheerfully after rising from the man's own desk and walking over to him with evident familiarity. "So how is little Peggy doing?" he asked the Mayor with an almost patronizing fondess.

"Great, great." The Mayor chuckled softly as he bounced the arctic bird in his arms like a beloved infant. "Happiest penguin in San Francisco," he added proudly.

Count D laughed politely, "I'm pretty sure she's the _only_ penguin in San Francisco, Richard."

Hearing Count D call the Mayor by his first name chilled Leon to the core. "Uh, Sir?" he had what felt like an insane notion that if he spoke, it would break whatever spell the Count had the Mayor under.

The Mayor turned, as if to prove Leon's theory correct, with an angry look of realization. "Who the devil are you?!" he growled fiercely and drew his arms a little more tightly around his pet. "Do you have an appointment?!" he asked malevolently with narrowed eyes.

"The mayor is one of my best customers, detective." Count D informed Leon sweetly. His demeanor towards the detective seemed to disarm the mayor's ire, and the Count's customer was once again focusing on the penguin. "I assume you've seen the news?" he told Leon calmly. "Mr. Stanford is certain to be reelected now. He's a bona fide hero…risking his life to save all those children like that. We need more people like him in office. Don't you agree, Richard?"

The mayor pulled himself reluctantly out his interaction with Peggy. "Oh yes," he replied, albeit a little detached, "that boy has a future. He'll be a senator in no time…maybe even out next governor."

"I think you're being too modest, Richard." Count D smiled more intensely. "I'm fairly certain I'll have the President of the United States as a client sometime soon."

Leon was once again having that surreal sensation after listening to the count declaring his prediction about the country's future leader.

The secretary finally cleared her throat during the momentary silence, not having wanted to interrupt the mayor's guest. "I'm sorry sir, but this man simply stormed right past me, even though I tried to stop him. Should I call security?"

Leon looked straight to the count, fully expecting the man to watch with deep amusement while he got dragged out by security and possibly even fired on the spot. A chill swept down his spine as the count began moving towards him with an unnervingly pleased smile.

"This is the detective who saved me from Wong, Richard," the Count introduced him graciously. "I believe he's here in regards to a man who came into my shop recently. When I wouldn't sell the man what he wanted, he claimed to have influential connections and would have my shop shut down. Isn't that correct, detective?"

"Uh, yeah," Leon managed to get out despite his state of shock.

Although still caught up in the urgency to be a good host to the count, the mayor was a bit embarrassed about someone under him discovering such bits about his personal life. He turned to Leon and nearly growled, "Well, if you're one of _my _men, your hair length is a disgrace! Get it cut IMEDIATELY!"

Leon was just beginning to recover from the surprise of Count D saving his career with the smoothness of a magician's hand when the mayor's order sank in. At the same time, though, he was also noticing the Count's sudden loss of self-assuredness. "Yes, SIR!" He replied crisply.

The pet shop owner's eyes had widened in slight panic. "Oh-no! Richard! You can't mean that!" he exclaimed in obvious distress.

Deep confusion became clearly evident on the mayor's face. "What's wrong, Count?" he asked a bit reluctantly.

The balance of things seemed to shift. Leon relaxed and planted his hand on his hip before lifting his chin in triumph, " –your own damn fault, D! An' t'think you were upset the last time I got it _trimmed_!" the detective remarked wryly. "That was just an inch!," his chin dropped and he gave the count a look of almost wicked glee. His voice softened to an almost sing-song precursor of immanent doom, "When _he_ says 'get it cut'," he thrust a pointing thumb in the mayor's direction, "we're talking THIS short," the thumb traveled to a position in front of his eyes and the index finger of the same hand came to it's side about two inches from it, "_including_ the back!" One corner of his mouth arced upward in a smirk.

Count D's head began occilating in denial, "Oh--no…it was just starting…" His eyes flitted around the detective's head as if just discovering the loss of some valuable possession.

Leon flung the hand that was on his hip into the air above his head, then let it drop to his side in exasperation. "Well, now, see! If ya'd told me about your little 'open line of communication' with the mayor here, it'd still be growin after t'day like you wanted. Y'got yerself alone t'blame this time, so don't even try makin me suffer for it bein _hacked off_!"

The mayor and his secretary were looking at each other with silent questions plainly on their faces. The conversation unfolding before them was beginning to paint quite an interesting picture.

"Richard…I only recently managed to convince the detective to allow his hair to grow." Count D told the mayor in a slightly pleading tone. He moved close enough to Leon to reach the the top of the detective's head and comb though the protruding blonde strands with the fingers of one graceful hand. "I wanted to see if we could find a way for it to be manageable at a longer length…" a soft smile formed on his lips as his eyes seemed to gaze upon a sight in the somewhat distant future of what Leon's hair would look like if allowed to grow.

"I'm _gonna_ be completely _bald_ if y'don't _keep_ those _razors_ of yours _away_ from my SCALP!" Leon growled in annoyance and leaned his head away from the count's reach. His expression resembled that of someone who'd tried to drink orange juice right after the morning teeth-brushing.

Certain that Leon was trying to come up with a reasonable excuse to avoid being touched so personally in front of others, Count D raised an eyebrow. His eyes gleamed with private admiration for the detective's impromptu theatrical abilities. "Oh! You're exaggerating again. They're not that sharp." He drew his hand away in veiled deference to the detective's feelings, and pretended to casually examine his personal manicure up keeping.

Leon's eyes narrowed, and he crooned sarcastically, "They're _sharp_ enough t'cut through a cotton dress shirt, the undershirt _beneath_ it—AND _draw blood_! I know _that_ as a fact from, excuse the expression, first-hand experience!"

The mayor seemed to flinch, concern at the hint that one of his men had been assaulted in some manner. He became more seriously attentive, and seemed to be debating with himself whether or not to start his own inquiry on the matter.

Picking up on what Leon's superior must have been thinking, the Count steered daringly into other territory. Intentionally making it appear as though he were trying to conceal any kind of flirtation, he stepped into Leon's personal space on a blatantly intimate level, and traced the imaginary line of a scare lying hidden by a t-shirt with a fingertip. "I did my best to make up for that, if you recall." He gazed up at the detective with brazenly sultry eyes.

_So that's going to be his game, is it?_ Leon thought to himself.

Not missing a beat of the dance the Count had chosen to start, Leon tilted his head and looked sideways into the past. "Hmm, let's see… I recall being sure I saw fireworks, no matter what you say." He looked up to read the expression on the Count's face and got a raised brow over intensly sparkling eyes as a response. He looked away from the Count again, and pulled another rabbit of inuendo out of his hat. "I recall _everything_ in the shop bein awake--and a just _little_ _bit_ skittish _**way**_ before sunrise..." Again, he directed his attention to the Count's face, and thought he detected the faintest signs of a struggle to repress the onslaught of laughter." His own mouth twitched in a smile of growing satisfaction. "I also recall you being more awake and chipper than you had any business bein...since you got even less sleep than I did..." And finally, he admitted airily, "but, no, I don't recall exactly what you did t'try and make up for it."

The Count moved gracefully to stand almost right against Leon's side, and rested a hand on the detective's upper arm. "Then you'll have to return with me to the shop...so that I can refresh your memory."

Leon gingerly took hold of Count D's wrist and pulled it away from himself. "_I_ have t'go-get-a-_haircut_…" He took a step back, turned on his heal and aimed for the door.

Count D's hand shot out like a bolt of white-silk lightning to grab a hold of his tee-shirt."No!" He cried out in sudden desperation.

Leon turned and wrapped his hand around the Count's wrist to pull him off, but the Count wasn't going to relinquish his hold this time. "D! Let go--your gonna tear _another_ one of my shirts!" his demand almost sounded as though he were on the verge of whining.

The mayor looked at his secretary for a clue as to what to do. Her face tightened, and she made an impatient noise somewhere between a grunt and a cat's mewling. He nodded in unspoken agreement and then cleared his throat to get the other two's attention. "Disregard that last order, detective." He interjected urgently, "It isn't necessary just right now."

Count D's face brightened imediately, and he relaxed, releasing his hostage carefully."Thank you, Richard." Once again, though, he reached to lift a strand of Leon's hair as if to see any change in the last few seconds.

Leon forced himself still, suspecting that if he managed to be patient enough, the Count would be satisfied with the outcome of the situation and find interest in something or someone else. "Have we learned anything from this, Mr. Likes To Be Mysterious?" He couldn't help himself but to gloat just a little.

"Yes." The Count answered just a moment after the question sank in. "You need to eat more. You've lost weight again." He ran a hand down Leon's bared upper arm.

Leon yanked his arm away in instant agitation. "Aw, now, that's IT! If _nothing_ else, I'm gonna prove t'the world that you're some kinda werebird!"

It took a moment for the Count to process the latest 'threat' Leon was making. Of all things, why... "A…_werebird_, detective?" His eyes had widened in amused surprise.

The mayor and his secretary looked at each other in renewed, and rather concerned confusion.

"Yeah." Leon nodded curtly. "Y'look perfectly human t'everyone until y'single out a victim, then y'sprout feathers n'a beak and _mother-hen_ 'em t'death!"

The secretary covered her mouth to cover a partially escaped laugh. The mayor began bouncing Peggy again, chuckling quietly through his nose.

Count D was positively thunderstruck. "Leon Orcot!" He suddenly sounded as an outraged mother might at finding that her son had been using her expensive silk stockings to make a butterfly net with.

Leon feigned surprise. "Did you just say 'cluckcluckcluckcluck?"

"Detectiiiiiiive—" Count D said warningly.

"B-raaaaaaaaw—" Leon mimicked in chickenese.

"Leon STOP it!" Count D was now fighting hard to keep from bursting into laughter.

"BuckbuckBUCKbuck!" Leon tagged to the end of the Count's sentance. He broke helplessly into a dazzling grin, which he noted seemed to soften the Count rather effectively.

The Count smiled back at him fondly, then very carefully spoke in a tone that he hoped wouldn't tempt his nemesis. "Seriously, detective, I'd be more than happy to have a nice dinner made for you, if you'd like to come to the shop after work."

After trying to keep from bursting into laughter themselves, the mayor and his secretary seemed to make themselves as unnoticeable as possible, obviously touched (to anyone who'd been paying attention).

Leon seemed to ponder the idea for a couple of seconds, and then his face contorted as if remembering something distasteful. "Did y'find a new way t'fix eggs yet?" He said with a dubious look.

Count D blinked in bewilderment. He'd only given Leon eggs once. Why would he be thinking dinner would have anything with "E--?" He started, and then caught the wince in Leon's face as the man just barely hicoughed back a snicker. His eyes became good-naturedly fierce."Oo--!" He shook his head rapidly, "Y--!" He couldn't believe Leon had pulled such a thing. "Ugh!" He thrust his arms across his chest in indignation and glared at Leon with a badly restrained smirk.

Leon leaned against the mayors desk in a devil-could-care stance, and purred. "Are you always this articulate?"

The Count shook his head slowly. "…honestly…" He finally relented and let out a soft laugh.

Not feeling the most comfortable with prolonged eye contact with the Count, Leon glanced around briefly, then saw the plaque that commemorated the day the Mayor had taken office. It made him realize where he stood in comparison to the people that Count D seemed to move among so easily. "Wouldn't someone like Alexander Van Whatsizface be more compatible company for you?" He asked in a bit more sobered mood now.

"It's not _Alexander's_ company I'm interested in." Count D's head tilted slightly, as he studied Leon's face a bit more carefully, wondering what exactly it was that had just brought such a question to the detective's mind.

Leon seemed to have to examine and re-examine the Coun't reply. "Well, thanks…I think."

The Count felt the urge to give Leon more reason to feel the matter was settled. "Pon Chan will be very happy to see you again. She's been asking about you."

There was an instant impulse to smile at the memory of the friendly racoon, and Leon was determined to fight it. He cringed slightly as he admonished,"Pon Chan needs t'be playin with raccoons her own age."

Count D's chin lowered. He looked practically scandalized at such a suggestion"Detective, do you have any idea what more than one raccoon can do to a place?" There was a stronge jesting lilt in his statement, however.

"Uh—a lot less than I've done t'my apartment. 'least, that's watcha said when I was in the hospital." Leon teased back. He seemed to grow uncomfortable again, though. "Anyway, you said Pon Chan was picking up some of my bad habbits." His attention dropped with his spirits to the floor, and he shrugged a little dejectedly. "If I'm not around 'er, I can't do anymore damage, then, can I?"

The Count let out a long, regretful sigh, and wondered how just a few words meant in teasing could bother the seemingly 'tough' detective so."Oh. She was simply addressing me as 'Yo Count," he reasured Leon. "She got tired of it quickly enough, though."

"Well, ya'd think y'caught 'er _smoking_, the way you went on." Leon scoweled at him. "On top of that, as well as a bunch of things before then, you reveal the greater depths of your wisdom by asking me t'_stay_ with you—_forever_! Now _there's_ a Pulitzer Prize winning 'Darwin Awards' story just waitin t'be written!"

The Count wasn't sure where this was going, or for that matter, why it was going whereever it was. He tried a more direct approach. "Are you trying to get across that your answer to my invitation is 'no'?"

For a moment, it seemed as though Leon was struggling to decide how to answer, but then he managed to come to a decision. He leaned his hip against the mayor's desk, and there was the sound of a plastic bag crackling from within the pocket of his jacket."I wouldn't be able t'get over there 'til about eight."

Peggy's attention suddenly rivitted to the crackling sound and squirmed to be let down.

At a loss, the mayor let Peggy down on the top of the desk, and she made a beeline for Leon's pocket.

Count D smiled at him gently. "That's fine." A thought seemed to occur to him imediately after saying that.. "Perhaps I should bring you dinner at the station, so you don't have to wait so long to eat."

"Shortcake, I know y'aren't tryin t'get t'my shrimp snacks without askin your dad first," Leon suddenly directed his attention on Peggy.

Everyone in the room was now looking at Leon.

"Why do you keep calling her Shortcake?" the Count finally remembered to ask.

"Pon-Chan accidently knocked over a dish of strawberry topping off of the table--right onto her head," Leon answered while in the process of pulling a noisy bag of dehydrated shrimp out of his pocket.

The Count seemed to remember something that might of been connected to what Leon had just told him. "Is that why--" his eyes flared with accusation.

Leon cut him off at the pass, "Which would you rather deal with? Wiping strawberry residue from the sides of the bathtub...or getting dried strawberry goop out of the head feathers of an upset baby macaroni penguin?"

Count D's lips parted in preparation for some sort of retort, but wisdom allowed only, "Tub" before convincing them to shut again.

Handing over the bag to the mayor, Leon lifted a brow with hit-and-run glance at the Count. "Fancy that."

The mayor looked puzzled, and turned to Count D for council.

"It's alright, Richard. Leon's given them to her before at the shop. Just make sure she drinks plenty of water afterwards."

The mayor nodded and then looked at his desk in distress, "Uh--"

"Here," Leon reached for the bag, which the mayor handed over without question. He took the empty coffee cup which had been sitting at the corner off of it's saucer, and put it in the middle of the desktop. He then set the saucer on top of it and poured the shrimp in a small pile in it's center. "There y'go, Shortcake."

Peggy waddled over to the makeshift table that Leon had made for her, then looked around, and went over to where a napkin was lying. She picked up the napkin in her beak, dropping the spoon that had been on it, and headed for Leon, where she stopped and seemed to wait for him to do something.

"Uh--" Leon looked down at Peggy and felt his face start to turn red. "We're not at the pet shop now, Shortcake. There's no goop."

Peggy simply dropped the napkin in front of him, turned around, stuck her beak in the air and rubbed the top of her head against Leon's stomach while making an obvious pleading sound in her throat.

Reddening in the face fully, Leon mashed his lips together, refused to look at anyone over two feet tall in the room and picked up the napkin. "Okay..." The redness suddenly faded when he came up with an idea to redirect everyone elses thoughts. "Actually, D, if you've got time to bring me dinner at the station, maybe you should use it for some one-on-one with T-Chan." He unfolded the napkin with a deft snap of his wrist. His brow wrinkled inward for a moment as he visiually searched the desk, then he reached for the black dome pen holder that had a small well in it and snatched a paperclip out of it which he stuck between his lips. Holding two corners of the napkin with his fingers, he brought it around Peggy's neck into a bib, "oou've beng 'aving sho ma-y nyew wi-erzh bein- borm ofer dere watewy," he grabbed the paperclip again and fixed the sides together with it. "...the little guy looked like he was trapped in some kinda Wild Kingdom old fashioned popcorn machine from hell. There y'go, Shortcake. All fixed up!"

Peggy brought her beak back down, quickly turned around to face Leon, quickly pressed her outstretched flippers against his stomach and made a happy penguin noise as she rubbed the side of her head against him appreciatively, then she quickly whirled around and attacked the shrimp snacks.

"Yeah-yeah, you're welcome, pipsqueek." He looked up at Count D, "And if you tell'im I said that, I'll totally deny it."

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**ATTENTION READERS: **I'd love to know what it is you like and don't like and want to read more of as I write this story. My LJ username is: stress100

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	2. Too Close to Home

Leon stepped into the empty apartment after the manager had unlocked the door for him. Before moving any further, he made a quick scan of the immediate room for something that might tell him where the latest victim was last headed.

"The officers here before did a pretty thorough search…" the manager seemed to be worried that perhaps he, himself, would be under suspicion for his tenant's (or former tenant's) death. "They were here quite a long time, dusting for prints and taking a bunch of things in those…zip-lock kinda bags." The shorter, slightly balding man seemed bothered by the memory.

"They were looking for traces of anyone who might have been here other than the victim recently." Leon answered somewhat absentmindedly. He could sense that the man there with him was in doubt that he would find anything more helpful than what the detectives there before him had. "That's the first step." He walked a little further into the living room, glancing at the entryways on either side. "I'm looking for things that might tell us where the victim might have been…" he hesitated long enough to choose the safest way to convey the idea, "before he was reported missing."

The elder man looked up at Leon, and nodded solemnly. He seemed to shudder slightly, and looked around the room, if only for the reason that he felt he could do nothing else to help. As Leon had, he ventured a little further into the apartment, but stayed a few feet behind the detective. "Don't know…" he told Leon in a soft, thoughtful tone, "seems like the sort of young fellas that wasn't home much…"

Leon's head turned quickly back to the man behind him, "Oh?" he let the manager know that he had his full and undivided attention.

The manager glanced up out of his reverie with a look of slight guilt. He shrugged and waved a hand in a quick arc in front of him. "Hardly cleaned the place…but hardly made any kinda mess, 'cept f'r the kitchen…like'e didn't have time't." He looked around again, almost with an expression of disapproval, "…didn't bother t'decorate et all, like he knew there wasn't any point…no one expected, no one unexpected worth worry'n about…loner mostly." Regret seemed to wrap around him at the realization. "Sign of the times, I s'pose?"

Leon turned away from the man, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable. He wasn't sure if it was because the other man was telling things about himself without realizing it, or because it almost seemed as though the gentleman might be talking about… He fought off a sudden shiver. Nah. It was like the guy said; just a sign of the times… The recent memory resurfaced of Jill Freshney off-handedly remarking that two of the people they'd questioned had mentioned Leon reminding them of the victims. The impulse to shiver returned.

Two different people interviewed, that didn't even know of the other's existence, that had said the same thing while he'd let Jill talk alone with them…about two totally different victims. Well, four now, actually.

Leon hadn't told Jill, or anyone else, about the two women that he'd questioned that had said he reminded them of the victims they were being asked about. Forensics had just recently revealed that the two other victims had also been killed in exactly the same manner as two others they were investigating. There was no longer any doubt that another serial killer was at work.


	3. Cranky Guys

Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors belongs to Matsuri Akino and TOKYOPOP. I'm making no money from the writing of this fiction work.

AU: After first episode in volume 5 (about the Kirin), before Chris comes into the story.

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"D! Getyerass out here! T-Chan's chokin on something!"

Count D materialized, and was crouching next to Leon, more concerned by the detective's uncharacteristic anxiety over one of his pets than of any danger to T-Chan. "T-Chan?" he asked with a calm that predictably annoyed his human guest.

"That idiot was yellin at you for nothin!" T-Chan snapped indignantly. "I was _laughing_, Count!"

"Oh, I see…" Count D seemed solemn, yet, to Leon's experienced perception, the usually charming pet shop owner seemed to be trying to conceal…something.

"I'm surprised the guy can tell a green light from a red one well enough t'stay alive…" T-Chan added with a little more venom than even the Count considered warranted.

"Now-now, T-Chan," Count D reproved gently, "at least our dear detective decided to wait for me to come, rather than try to attempt giving you aid himself…." There was an almost ominous note to the lilt in the end of his last sentence.

As if to punctuate it, the Count added brightly, "You could have found yourself receiving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation".

"A person can actually do that with an animal," the question came out of Leon's mouth, before he remembered himself…"TH-THA-That's just…totally insane!" Leon didn't want to say that it was disgusting. As hard as he tried to convince himself that he completely disbelieved the animals here could actually understand him, well… If there was even the slightest possibility, he wasn't going to say something that might give them the idea that he wouldn't, at least, try to save even one of _their_ lives.

"I'D RATHER DIE A SLOW AND AGONIZING DEATH!!!" T-Chan shouted with what sounded more like desperation than conviction.

To Leon, all T-Chan was doing was barking. He did notice that all of the other animals, as well as the Count were focusing intently and winced at the end of the "fanged goat's" outburst. If T-Chan were actually saying anything, Leon doubted that it was anything nice. Not that he could blame him. If he were T-Chan and had understood what D had just said, well, he probably wouldn't have been pleased with such an idea, even if facing death.

"Next time…" the relieved (not that he'd admit to it) detective turned to make his way back to his usual lounging spot "…I'll remember t'tell ya t'bring me some popcorn," he grumbled at the Count as if truly annoyed. Anyone, man or beast, that had been around Leon enough, would know that it was more to 'keep up appearances'.

"Oh! You two are completely impossible sometimes," the Count almost growled as he did an abrupt About-Face and stormed, albeit gracefully, back to the kitchen.

Leon's eyes stayed on Count D's retreating figure until the pet shop owner was completely out of sight. "Only sometimes?" He muttered with feigned a hurt expression and voice (that perhaps the Count might be told about later by the only remaining witnesses).

"After all the times you've bitten and scratched the detective, he was honestly concerned when he thought something was wrong with you. You didn't have to act like that!" Pon-Chan scolded.

"Yeah, T-Chan! When push comes to shove, the guy is just as protective of animals as he is people, even you!" Ten-Chan crooned with an amused smirk.

The rest of the 'pets' began a tirade of noisy disapproval directed very clearly at T-Chan.

Leon turned to look in the direction of the commotion to see T-Chan looking like he didn't know whether to attack, run—or dig a hole in the floor to stick his head down in.

"HEY! That's enough of that!" Leon broke in with a genuinely defending shout. "Everyone's entitled t'their own opinion!" unwittingly sounding as though he had understood what had been said. He was back over to T-Chan, standing next to him in a stance of challenge towards the others. "Even an ungrateful, freaky lookin' goat with fangs! Now leave'im alone -- r'I'll open up a can of whupass on the rest of y'all!"

Keeping a glaring eye on the other 'pets' of D's, Leon scooped up a too-shocked-to-snarl-or-bite T-Chan. He went back to the sofa, deposited T-Chan on a spot safe enough to the right of where he finally settled himself down with a huff.

Not knowing what to make of the detective's actions, T-Chan wondered if this was even the same human that continually came in and made a nuisance of himself. He stood and leaned his face to the officer's chest, sniffing experimentally for any tell-tale differences.

Leon didn't have to be a detective to understand what T-Chan was doing. With a smooth, but slow motion, he gently placed a restraining hand just above the totetsu's left shoulder. "Relax, dude. It's really me," he reassured T-Chan with an amused tone in his voice. "I'm just offering a truce for now. After all, we cranky guys gotta stick together against all the pleasant, easy goin' powder-puffs that we're surrounded by." He leaned his head down so that his mouth was next to one of T-Chan's ears, and half-whispered a foreboding warning, "Otherwise…they'll try'n turn us in t'one of them…" He sat back up, looking down at T-Chan with a conspiratorial glint in his eyes.

T-Chan blinked and wondered if this human was finally revealing that he was certifiably insane. The earlier scene of just seconds ago flashed across his memory, and his head snapped around in the direction of 'them'. Blinking again, T-Chan made a split-second decision to play along with the human's last words. Letting out an alarmed yelp, he began backing up, as if in fear of his life, until he'd wedged his body into the space between the sofa and the detective's back.

Leon let his head drop back, and began laughing in whole-hearted merriment. The hand he had lightly gripped T-Chan's shoulder with had stayed in contact with the totetsu, and it's strong fingertips began moving in slow, kneading circles.

At first, T-Chan held perfectly still, thinking that the human would stop if he so much as twitched a muscle. That was the last thing he wanted. This was not the soft, feathery stroking of Count D's hand. Of all people, this bungling human seemed to know just where, and just how hard to…

Of it's own accord, T-Chan's body eventually oozed out of it's place of refuge and pooled onto the unoccupied space next to Leon's right leg. The totetsu's eyelids slid closed in rapture, and he happily ignored the giggles and teasing whispers floating in the air around him.

(To be continued…)


	4. Steamed Rice

The familiar sounds of Count D making his Tea Time entrance completely silenced the other creatures muted chatterings. All eyes, save for those blissfully closed, fell expectantly onto the, as yet, oblivious shop owner.

"I have some delicious new…" Count D, not only stopped in mid-sentence, but froze in place when his mind completely registered that T-Chan was lying contentedly against Leon's leg…and allowing the detective to pet him…

Bi-colored eyes met matching blue in utter bemusement. "What—" was all the Count could get out.

Leon twitched a shoulder casually, "Tea's getting a little old, so I figured, hey, why not make myself a T-Chan Smoothy?" He looked down at the totetsu and seemed to make a brief assessment of the creature. "Might be a while before he's completely liquefied, though. Guess it'll be the tea 'till then."

Vaguely aware that the Count was seeing a most unexpected scene, and wanting a little revenge for all the times he'd been denied having the detective for lunch, T-Chan swished his tail a couple of times to convey his approval.

Ten-Chan strolled around to the front of the sofa, stopping on Leon's left, then (to Leon's eyes) leaped up to perch next to him (to everyone else there, he'd simply walked to the seat next to the detective and sat down). Stretching his neck to peer over the human's lap, he seemed to examine T-Chan for moment. "I'm afraid it's hopeless…" he announced mournfully, "…he's been brought over—to the Dark Side…" His head bowed and his right hand came up to cover his eyes in mock sorrow.

Leon's belief that Count D's 'residents' couldn't actually talk was once again trying to crumble. The multiple tails of this white fox was unnerving enough, but it seemed to saying something. He almost got the feeling that it was making some sort of remark about…T-Chan being defiled perhaps. Well, it didn't seem like genuine remorse—rather, it almost appeared to be sarcasm. Why not run with it?

Before Ten-Chan realized what the detective was about to do, Leon snaked his other hand behind him. Warm, strong fingers closed carefully around the shape-shifter's neck and began working seductively. "Resistance is futile—you WILL be _assimilated_…" Leon had leaned over to recite the Borg slogan in Ten-Chan's ear, in a low, and almost sultry voice.

For a second, Ten-Chan froze, but then mentally registered a challenge. Bringing his hand back down, he met Leon's gaze—then turned his head and lifted his chin with eyes closed in dramatic defiance, "Never!" he proclaimed, "My will is _many times_ stronger than that of…" His eyes suddenly opened when his scalp and spine began to tingle luxuriously, "…of…uh…um…" He licked his lips, eyelids opening and closing in slow blinks as his head began to sink slowly downward. "…my will…stronger…than…uh…than…" Almost as soon as his eyes closed for the last time, his body collapsed, and being a little end heavy over the sofa's edge, slid as though boneless to the floor. As he stared, with a not-quite-coherent expression up at the ceiling, his voice went on in a thick slur, "…stronger…than…than…uh…than…"

"…steamed rice?" T-Chan offered in a low mutter, after forcing an eye just open and long enough to look at his dazed housemate.

"…that works…" Ten-Chan muttered agreeably.

"…and that was just his left hand…" T-Chan murmured smugly.

Ten-Chan blinked a couple of times as his sluggish mind processed those words. "…oh—damn—" was all he managed to drawl before his eyes rolled up into his head and shut heavily.

Leon leaned back against the sofa lazily, as though this sort of thing was nothing out of the normal. Just for added effect, though, he brought his left hand up to his chin with the first two fingers pointed to mimic a gun. As if blowing out a candle, he blew a puff of air above his pointed fingers, then imitated the motion of spinning the imaginary weapon on his finger and slipping it into it's holster with smooth expertise.


	5. Totetsu for Tea

A/N: I'm going to be making revisions to this and the other pages/chapters. The site doesn't seem to change my latest Update time when I make revisions unless I add a new chapter. If anyone knows how to get the automatic update readout to change when making revisions to already existing chapters, please tell me how to do so.

* * *

Count D hadn't found himself this surprised since he found the two saber tooth cubs in his tea case the night Leon had followed him into the Museum of Natural History. 

He was use to Leon making at least some sort of complaint about one thing or another when they had tea together. It was almost becoming as much a part of the ritual as setting a napkin with a spoon next to each teacup. He was not, however, at all use to T-Chan letting Leon touch him (save for being pulled off and held down or away by the detective in order to keep the Totetsu from snacking on him). Even more unusual, he found himself actually struggling to grasp how the one could in anyway relate to the other.

_Tea's getting a little old…T-Chan smoothie…_

The pet shop owner, use to being the one shrouded in mystery, was now feeling a sensation similar to being on a large boat caught in turbulent waters. What could have possibly happened between now and the time that he had left the room to finish getting things ready to serve tea? There was nothing he could imagine that could have resulted in the two mutual antagonists sitting together now as if it were something they'd been doing all along.

Where Leon saw a small, hair covered creature that resembled a cross between a dog and a small sheep, Count D saw T-Chan's veiled form: a slim, exotic youth, with long, cedar hair.

T-Chan was stretched out on his stomach, left side snuggly against Leon's right leg, his arms folded underneath his chin, knees drawn towards his chest on his right side, and eyes closed in sheer contentment.

Before Count D could ask for a clearer explanation, the bizarre situation began unfolding even further before him. Just as he was realizing that Leon wasn't exactly petting him, Ten-Chan strolled over to the detective and sat down on his other side. He leaned over to look at T-Chan more closely and made some odd, overly dramatized remark that sounded vaguely familiar to the Count. Although he could tell that the kitsune was behaving in his usual, mischievous manner, he wasn't expecting Leon to pick up on his actions, let alone add to them with his own improvisation.

Somehow, without warning or evident reason, the least likely three had come together to conspire against the Count's sensibilities.

If everyone hadn't had their complete attention on Ten-Chan and his antics, then the look in the Count's eyes would have joined the growing list of most recent unusual occurrences. It was a look not unlike that of some large predatory creature, holding as still as possible, and watching for that tell-tale image that signaled the time to strike. The look was aimed at Ten-Chan, after Leon had gotten a hold of him.

The androgynous face framed by cascading gossamer filaments, had become a recognizably haughty and aristocratic mask. The mask shattered to reveal stunned disbelief, then melted into careless self-indulgence. For a moment, it almost looked as though Ten-Chan was going flop right over onto Leon's lap. When Ten-Chan, instead, slid gracelessly (okay, it was Ten-Chan, so it wasn't completely graceless) off the sofa to the floor, the laser beam target in the Count's eyes vanished instantaneously. This would possibly have been very interesting to anyone who'd seen it, but no one had. The Count checked discretely to make sure of it.

A careful smile formed on the Count's lips, and he carefully resumed setting the table for tea, carefully trying to make it look as if things were back to normal.

After it was fairly clear that Ten-Chan was simply going to continue lying on the floor and bask in the ridiculous afterglow that had settled upon him, the others (that weren't in the process of liquefying) began letting out various noises of amusement. This sort of thing had a rather reliable tendency to agitate Leon. The Count cast a discrete glance over at the detective in order to make sure that something of the human's visit would remain consistent. Alas. Leon was thoroughly absorbed in looking down at T-Chan's still form with an tranquility about him. He frowned slightly in deepening uncertainty, but did his best to keep anyone from seeing. Pouring the tea, he decided to try and find out whether the current change was some sort of spontaneous occurrence that had just happened here at the shop, or if it had something to do with things 'outside'. "Things have been going well at work?" he ventured as he poured Leon's tea.

Leon seemed to still completely for such a brief moment, that it was almost imperceptible. The look in his eyes had definitely taken on a sobering change. T-Chan felt his hand stop, attempted to open an eyelid, failed, and made a distressed noise in his throat.

"Just keep liquefying," Leon almost whispered and resumed working his fingertips down T-Chan's back The slight smile returned to at least one corner of his mouth, albeit, a little sadly. "Not really," he finally lifted his head to face the Count with a heavy sigh. "'nother more-than-usually nasty case…serial killer."

"Are you here to find out if I have anything to do with it, detective?" the Count asked cautiously.

Leon shook his head, looking distantly into the table. "No animals involved. Victims died by the same human hand…after being kept alive under sedation for a few days, then they were given lethal overdoses." He swallowed hard, then reached down and grabbed the teacup his host had just set down. Still keeping his hand working on the totetsu, he took one large gulp of the tea, as if trying to wash down something unpleasant. The tea had been hot, but rather than bursting into one of his signature tirades, he clenched his jaw, shut his eyes and rested his forehead against his wrist, teacup held loosely with his fingers, and waited for the pain to subside. His mind seemed to use the rotation of his fingers on T-Chan as measures of time passing while the searing lance of the tea's heat faded to a more bearable sting. When he realized that the hand holding the tea was threatening to shake, he opened his eyes and set the cup down carefully. He leaned back against the seat, and let out a long careful breath, his eyes becoming slightly glazed and working hand not missing a beat.

"Did you scald your mouth, Leon?" Count D stood with intense concern drawing his face into tight lines.

Rather than react to the Count actually calling him by name, Leon shut his eyes once more and did a mental diagnosis of his mouth and throat. His head turned from side to side a couple of times in answer.

_No sound from the detective… Count D calling the police officer by his first name and asking him if he'd scalded his mouth… This was definitely something to be paying closer attention to._ Although holding the 'mostly oblivious' expression, Ten-Chan's seemingly dull eyes drifted over to the human. T-Chan was still in the process of being liquefied, and the detective was just then opening his own eyes.

With a slight wrinkle of his nose, Leon seemed to regain the familiar stoic, cynical façade he so often wore. "Been too hungry t'wait for pizza t'cool too many times—probably shouldn't still have a tounge," he told the coffee table, and then wrinkled his mouth over to one side.

"Things would be remarkably less interesting, if that were to ever happen, my dear detective." Count D replied with a noticeably warm lilt in his tone, relaxing once again. He sat down across from Leon as usual, setting his saucer on his lap while taking a delicate sip from the cup. His eyes stayed on Leon, searching behind the guise of amusement.

"Hmph. Fat chance…" Leon sneered slightly, but there was a heavy taint of gratitude in his reply. He squinted slightly, and seemed to be trying to see past the table into some distant place to find some nameless item.

Waiting for a few moments to see if Leon would do any thinking out loud, Count D set the cup down on the saucer and tilted his head. "Any feelings in your gut yet?" It was said with slight teasing, but more with honest hope that it would make Leon feel comfortable enough to let him try and help sort out facts and possibilities. His hopes were suddenly smothered when he saw Leon's breath catch, his eyes flinching wide with what looked like muted terror, and his face slightly drain of color.

T-Chan groaned suddenly when Leon's hand tightly squeezed the muscles in his lower back.

Leon's head turned immediately, his hand frozen for a moment as he checked to see if he'd accidentally hurt T-Chan.

T-Chan's fingers splayed slightly as a volley of wonderfully strong tingles coursed up his spine and flashed throughout his extremities. He inhaled deeply and let out a long satisfied sigh that ended in a slight snort.

Leon relaxed again, the smile and color returning to his face. He started moving his fingers again, back up to the little creature's neck and then down the nearest shoulder, and down the foreleg. His eyes became more lively again, fixing on T-Chan's face. The feel of another living being's warmth and solidity was turning into an anchor that perhaps no one realized the young man desperately needed.

A creeping sensation of faint nausea began to settle in Count D's stomach, although he couldn't, for the life of him, understand exactly why. There was something about this new case that was bothering Leon on a much deeper level than he'd ever been before. Leon's insistent struggle to cover his true feelings had attained a new visibility, and that revelation was becoming increasingly disturbing.

Pulling his attention back to his host, smile vanishing, Leon's eyes darted momentarily to Count D's, filled with guilt and helplessness, then back down to T-Chan. He dodged giving the real answer for one that was sufficiently true. "What I feel…is more and more useless." His other hand crossed over his body to join in the totetsu liquefaction process. Concentrating his efforts towards the limp paw, he held it with the fingers of one hand while pressing the tips of the other in tight, controlled lines and rotations.

Count D's gaze followed Leon's hands in distracted fascination. He saw T-Chan's left hand held almost tenderly in Leon's. Lifting his eyes to examine the detective's face again, he saw the distant, searching expression return. "What is it that's causing you to feel that way?" He asked with complete seriousness.

Leon clenched his lips together for a moment, and seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "We haven't been able t'find anything that can tell us where'r how these guys might've initially met up with the killer. Right now, we're back tracking credit card use and phone calls of the most recent victims." His eyes narrowed and he seemed to be gathering his determination. "If we can't find any recurring addresses'r phone numbers, then we have't try and map out where they've been…" He shook his head slowly, "There could be another victim, right now, still alive---"

"If you keep thinking about that, your mind may not see something that could help you find whoever it is you're looking for." Count D reminded and consoled Leon in the single statement.

Leon nodded silently in agreement. "Thanks," he said softly, with a quick glance of gratitude.

Count D nodded his acknowledgement. "Are they using the trained police dogs on this case at all?"

"The police dogs can only help if they know what scent they're suppose t'be goin after." Leon answered with frustration. "We need something that can tell us if there's a common scent of one person in more than one place. That kinda training'd take too long…the coroner says the killings are getting closer together with each body found." His shoulders suddenly spasmed back towards his spine just prior to a quick but fierce shudder.

It was hard to tell if Leon was so absorbed in what he was doing that he didn't really notice the disturbance in his own body, or if he was trying to pretend that it either hadn't happened or didn't matter. "I just might be able to provide you with what you need, detective." Count D offered sincerely.

There were slight flickering movements in Leon's eyes as he seemed to examine what had just been said to him in his mind. It was hard to tell when he shut them momentarily whether he was grasping or letting go of hope. The answer seemed to be more in the way his body seemed to release. His right shoulder, joined with the right side of his head in resting fully on the back of the couch. "Thanks, D." He nearly whispered before opening his eyes. He looked down at the paw he was still working on, noticing how more like cat's claws than dog or goat's the toes were. Having more contact with dogs, he used his fingertips to explore as well as pamper. No, this didn't feel like the makeup of a dog's foot, front or back. Not only that, but his tired, overtaxed brain would say 'finger' and 'hand' and superimpose a slender hand in his for a millisecond or two. No. He squinted slightly and squeezed with just a little more pressure to reassure himself that this was definitely a claw—on a paw. Yeah. 

T-Chan's other paw decided it felt cheated, and tucked itself under it's owner, burrowed under it's owners chest, and poked itself out on the other side. This, however, resulted in the rest of T-Chan's body having to reposition. With a stretch, a squirm, and a gravitationally imposed on grunt, T-Chan moved so that he was lying on his right side, both upper and lower paws now easily accessible.

Leon laughed quietly behind a renewed smile, and took the hint. He switched work onto the other forepaw, giving it the same amount of attention as the first before moving to the left hind leg. A few seconds after beginning his magic on the foot, he heard a sound that at first seemed to be growling. He raised his head slightly and watched T-Chan until he was certain the noise was coming from him. "He purrs!" He mouthed in amazement, then let his head drop again, as more laughter came out of him in quiet breathy puffs. He didn't want to startle T-Chan, no matter how much this rocked his world.

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10-22-07: See! Added more!

10-25-07: ...and more

11-08-07...and more (Thank you for the reviews and the 'Faving'. I've seen that there are a lot of hits to this story. I hope more readers that like this story will at least leave a one word review-so that I can see what they write and like to read, which gives me more ideas where to go and how to get there.) Please check out my newest PSoH story WORDING IS EVERYTHING. (I'm not sure if I want to add to it, or leave it as it is.)


	6. Awake

T-Chan wandered through corridor after corridor, not looking for any place in particular to go. Thoughts about Leon that he'd never found himself having before had kept him from going back to sleep. Usually, when he thought about the 'dear detective', it was usually with a ceaseless, bitter wrath. Now, there was a feathery caress of excitement and curiosity. Everywhere that Leon had touched him felt like a tangible imprint had been left. Stopping at a door that gave off a muted incandescence from its ornamental stained glass, he looked into the lightless corridor beyond and seemed to find something that had otherwise eluded him until this moment. "He's never tried--to hurt me…" 

"Count D?" Ten-Chan asked softly with mild surprise at the totetsu's statement as he emerged from out of the darkness. "He'd carve himself up with a plastic knife before he ever hurt one of us!" He sauntered casually up to T-Chan and stopped to study the youngster's face carefully. 

"Not him." T-Chan replied with unexpected relief at there being someone he might be able to talk to about this. "Orcot." 

Ten-Chan's eyes narrowed slightly, and his skin suddenly felt like something was crawling all over it. He'd heard through the household grapevine about the amusing site of T-Chan biting Leon a couple of times. It would have been one thing if the human had never _managed_ to hurt T-Chan, but to never have _tried_…that was a piece of information that had been left out. "Not even when you tried sinking your teeth into him?" He asked skeptically. 

T-Chan shook his head slowly, a strange, haunted look on his face. "Not even then." He looked over at the door, as if it had some sort of answer to the new puzzle. "Kinda weird…with that short temper of his…" he mused uncomfortably. 

A corner of Ten-Chan's mouth twitched upward, "Anything else?" he asked slyly, sensing that T-Chan's initial feelings about Leon had kept him from seeing things the way he was now. 

"Yeah," T-Chan said with controlled agitation, "The way he reacted after Alexander left—or how he _didn't_ react," he corrected himself pointedly. 

Ten-Chan turned and stepped over to the wall across from the door. He faced T-Chan again, let his back drop against the wall with a soft thump and then slid down it until he was sitting on the floor with one knee bent and the other leg straight out. He raised his eyes to look up at T-Chan. "Go on," he encouraged sincerely. 

T-Chan sat down against the wall right next to Ten-Chan with an eagerness to be listened to. "Well, before I met Count D, I'd gained a lot of experience with male humans who made it clear they weren't interested in me or any other men whatsoever." 

"And?" Ten-Chan was having a growing feeling that he hadn't been paying close enough attention to the detective as he should have. 

T-Chan fixed his eyes with Ten-Chan's, "Orcot—his reactions, the things he said…they're…not quite…right." 

The kitsune's head tilted carefully, to say without words that he didn't quite follow, but that he wasn't disagreeing. 

T-Chan seemed to squirm impatiently, before he shared the rest of his musings about the human. "He's blown up and blurted out some of the rudest, and crudest things about a lot of things, but the one time you'd expect him to do just that…you'd think he was actually choosing what he said and did _way_ more carefully than he normally does." 

For a moment, Ten-Chan's face was almost expressionless, but then a sly-bordering on wicked smirk crept onto the corners of his mouth. "I think you may have something there…" he breathed up at the door with intrigue. 


	7. The Sandman's Playground

* * *

The Sandman's Playground

* * *

PART 1

* * *

Jill was having an unusually hard time driving as she steered her car through the congested streets of Chinatown. It was one of those bleak days during early summer that was bright, almost too bright, and yet somehow oppressive. A disconcerting chill seemed to lie waiting behind hours of the day that hadn't yet come to pass. Every face around her seemed sullen, and nearly every set of eyes were fixed downward, most likely trying to escape the harsh glare of the completely overcast sky.

It wasn't the weather conditions or they mood they instilled in this community that was making her so distracted, though. Leon hadn't come in or called work after his two days off. Not only that, but no one had been able to get a hold of the one person who might know where he was, or find him if he didn't. The chief had sent her here to look for either one of them, too tied up with thirteen dozen other things to go there himself.

At an intersection light, she reached out to work the search button on her car stereo with the hope of finding a little music that might dispel the dreariness. For some reason, the only selection number that was actually playing something besides commercials or talk-segments, was to a Latin-pop station. To her annoyance, it sounded like nothing more than the same short fragment of tune repeating over and over with only a slight change in word arrangement. It just seemed to magnify the feeling of tenseness around and within her.

A familiar flicker of colored light was suddenly caught by everything that could reflect it, and drew her attention in the direction it seem to come from. Down the street on her left was a rather large crowd gathered, with at least three marked police cars at the heart of it, parked with lights flashing and the officers either on two way radios or trying to control the curious mob. Instead of continuing towards the pet shop, Jill turned and headed for the scene. She found a place to park on the outskirts of the crowd and made her way to the center of the disturbance.

Without being aware of it, she had been hoping there was someone injured too badly to be moved by anyone other than paramedics. That would mean there was hope. Unfortunately, she caught the recognizable form of a human covered by a blanket that one of the uniformed officers had in their car.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you can't—"

"Detective Freshney, Homocide," she interrupted, and held up her badge for him to examine.

The officer nodded and told his coworkers over his two-way radio that she was one of them.

She crouched down and tried to shield the victim's head with her body from the crowd's hungrily curious eyes. Without a second thought, she reached for the end of the blanket at the head and lifted it over to reveal the body's face. If she hadn't instantly frozen in shock, she would have jumped back with a scream.

* * *

PART 2

* * *

It was late evening now. Traffic was noticeably lighter throughout the city, and almost nonexistent past the invisible border into Chinatown.

Jill had been focusing her mind as much as possible on her driving, trying to block the image of Leon's lifeless form staring up at an ash-gray sky. It wasn't working though. Every time that the car's path didn't demand her full attention, she would see him again. For some morbid reason that she couldn't put a finger on, it felt as if she needed to hold on to what he had looked like then, no matter how much it tore at her emotionally. Perhaps it was it was because it was the only way she could keep him from being alone in the last moment of his life, even though...

A sob threatened to burst from her throat, so she pushed her thoughts into gripping the steering wheel and seeing what was actually outside of the windshield. It wasn't safe to drive and cry helplessly at the same time. And Jill had to get to the pet shop, now, knowing that Count D would understand and forgive her for arriving at such an hour. She could let herself break down after she was there.

* * *

PART 3

* * *

T-Chan's purring had been unexpected in itself, but it had somehow driven away Leon's dread of falling asleep. Count D had cleared the parlor table in almost complete silence and then gone to bed. Now, Leon was laying with his upper body on the sofa, and his legs still hanging over the side from the knee down. T-Chan was nestled against Leon's right thigh. They would have been sleeping like that for just over an hour. T-Chan had woken up shortly after Count D had retired for the evening, however. He'd wandered about the shop's passageways until meeting up with Ten-Chan, but then returned to his spot next to the sleeping detective and to sleep as well.

Leon's mobile phone began letting out an electronic burring from the back pocket of his jeans. Since his backside was pressed into the cushioned back of the sofa, the sound was muffled enough for it not to wake him.

T-Chan's hearing was a lot keener than the human's and the sound drilled into his consciousness, causing him to open his eyes to see what the disturbance was. Once his mind had cleared a bit, he realized what the noise was from. "Orcot…you're butt's ringing." He grumbled at the sleeping detective.

"Mph?" was Leon's prompt response.

The phone blurted again, and Leon still didn't register it.

"Hey, Leon—your ass is going off! Make it shut up!" T-Chan spoke a little more loudly.

"Mmmm—" Leon groaned in protest. "—nor it…ll'go'way…" he mumbled.

T-Chan blinked, wondering if Leon had really heard what he had just said, or if he was just talking to him the way humans did with animals even though they didn't have the slightest clue what was being said. "That never worked for me," he complained sarcastically.

One of Leon's eyebrows seemed to move upward on his forehead, and a slight sneer appeared on one side of his mouth. "—s'cause yer s'fucking kyoo'n fuffy…"

"Oh-ho--dude…I should take that ass of yours _**off**_ just for _thinking_ about saying that."

"Hmm—yeah…pro'b'by. Nnnnnnngh—can y'wait'ill later…please?" Leon pleaded tiredly, but with actual sincerity in his voice.

T-Chan let his head back down on his arm. "Hmph. Okay…you're off the hook this time…_just_ this time."

"Hmmm—" Leon hummed a sigh of relief, and a soft smile of contentment settled on his face. "Me and my ass thank you." He let out a soft huff of a laugh, and smirked ever so slightly.

"Yeah-yeah-yeah," T-Chan feigned annoyance. "I told you, I just want your ass t'shut up."

"Mm? 'already did, dude…you're the one still going off." Leon's voice was smug, but pleasantly playful.

T-Chan stared at Leon, not really sure what to think. "Hmph," he finally replied and settled back down to return to sleep.

"You okay?" Leon's question jolted the returning silence.

T-Chan lifted his head, wondering why Leon was asking him that. "Hunh?"

"Mm—thought I squeezed too hard…'fraid I hurt ya." Leon admitted a bit reluctantly.

It took a moment for T-Chan to figure out what Leon was talking about, and then remembered when he'd felt Leon's fingers grip him hard at the base of his spine. "Uh-hunh-unh…felt great. Can't hurt me…except with your stupid jokes."

"Hmph," Leon let out another amused huff. " 'should have a little r'spect for those stupid jokes of mine--they keep people from missin' me when'm not around…" He smirked slightly, maybe a little sadly, and seemed to give himself back up to sleep.

T-Chan was use to the hair on the back of his neck standing up when the detective was around. What made this time so suddenly different? He moved his head just enough to see the human's face, feeling a seriously weird sort of worry. "What about you?" He asked cautiously, wondering why Leon seemed to be understanding him, and why he wasn't acting 'freaked out' about it.

"Mm?" Leon raised an eyebrow again, but left his eyelids shut.

"You okay?" He wasn't sure why he was wondering that so much right now. Leon had acted tense after coming here from work before. It just seemed 'thicker' than it ever had.

Leon's shoulder twitched slightly. "Mm…be fine…guess." His voice seemed to have a slight catch in it.

T-Chan's spine tingled unpleasantly. Something in Leon's voice was definitely…disturbing. "What's wrong?" He tried to ask in the way Count D had asked him whenever he was in a foul mood.

"Mmmm…" Leon's shoulder twitched again, like he was trying to shrug off the subject, but then he seemed to change his mind. "Do'know'f ma'ers anymore…"

T-Chan stiffened, and looked even harder at Leon's face. "Don't know if _what_ matters anymore?"

Leon took a deep breath, "Hmm--anything…everything…s'many things…s'fucked up…n'me…not sure why bother ge'ing up sometimes…" He seemed to deflate with his answer.

T-Chan watched him for a moment, trying to decide if he still wanted revenge for having his freedom…limited. "I do," he finally announced.

Leon's brow wrinkled slightly. "Mm? Yeah? Why?" he asked a bit reluctantly.

T-Chan stayed silent for a few seconds, eyes glittering merrily. "…s'cause I'm s'fuckin kyoo'n fuffy."

Both of Leon's eyebrows flicked upwards, then settled back down as he smiled again. "…s'gotta be it…" he agreed with a pleased murmur.

"Damn straight." T-Chan settled back down, sensing that Leon was more at ease now. He closed his eyes. "…n' don't forget it." He said smugly.

Leon smirked, more genuinely relaxed again. "Hm—deal…" his last word little more than a whisper.

* * *

PART 4

* * *

Leon's car was parked where it usually was when he'd come to Chinatown to see Count D. Jill pulled up into the empty spot next to it, and then sat staring at it once she'd turned off the engine to her car. Overwhelming emotion threatened to break through the smothering blanket of dullness that she'd allowed to wrap around herself.

She'd made fun of his car, told him in teasing that he'd probably start 'getting some action,' that he kept complaining about wanting, if he'd just get something that looked even a _little_ bit newer.

She felt a dangerous twinge, remembering him referring to his car, surprisingly, with the archaic title of Ol' Bessy. He'd defended _her_ with the fact that he could keep _her_ running, all by himself, so long as he had a wrench, some duct tape, and a little love.

The old junker seemed painfully beautiful now. How could she have even _thought_ about telling him to get something that would have added him to all the other cookie-cutter-car owners? She had, though, and the realization sent another, more painful twinge through her. She'd rationalized that it was because she worried his car would break down at the worst possible time. A newer car would be more reliable.

Bullshit, Jill. How many times had she found herself forced to surrender her own personal transportation, her hard earned money, and her time to 'professionals' to fix the with-the-times electronic shit in her car?

Leon, on the other hand, had been able to smugly boast that he'd never had a problem with his 'piece of junk'…that he hadn't been able to fix himself. And to think of all the times she'd mentally called _him_ and idiot.

How many things had she taken for granted about him, or wished he'd changed, or even nagged him about changing? How many times had she bugged him…about getting rid of things, including things about himself, that kept him from being just another cookie-cutter-cop, like she was becoming?"

Damn it, Jill! You've already been through this before. Leon _almost_ died from getting himself shot, was even expected to die. He shouldn't have even survived, from what the doctors had said. That should have been enough to be prepared…

She cut the end of that thought off by loosening her grip from the steering wheel to unlock the door and push it open, then sliding herself from off of the driver's seat to stand outside of her car. Her eyes stayed fixed on Leon's car, taking in the way that it seemed like an actual part of Leon, a _living_ part.

Detective Jill Freshney forced herself to look away from Leon's…vehicle, and begin walking to the entrance of Count D's pet shop. She expected to be more composed by the time she made it to the shop's entrance, but she felt even more on the verge of losing the grip on her feelings. Her hand reached out and touched a part of the slender wood framing that made up the intricately windowed door. She stood there like that for a prolonged moment, silently chanting affirmations of her profession to tighten the reigns of her emotional control.

Jill's eyes began searching for something that might go to a doorbell. Would she have to stand there knocking until Count D heard her? She imagined the inside and remembered how it soothingly seemed to absorb sound. She might have to dig out her mobile phone and try calling…

The door suddenly started opening to reveal the familiar form of Count D, quite understandably in a night robe, with an alertly inquisitive look on his face. His eyes widened slightly in concerned surprise, and narrowed with grim determination as soon as he recognized the anguish in her eyes. "Detective Freshney, please…come in," he not only invited her with an insisting tone, but gently guided her through the doorway with a protective arm around the back of her shoulders that drew her to his side.

"I wa—" Jill began her apology for arriving at such a late hour once Count D set the door closed with his free hand, but his face turned towards her abruptly with a finger raised to his lips. She silenced herself instantly, and turned to look in the direction which Count D's head inclined with a careful nod.

Despite the darkness, Jill could see, clearly enough, who it was lying on the guestroom sofa.

"Leon…" his name rushed out of her throat in a quiet exhale that was just shy of being a sob. She broke away from her host and rushed over to Leon with impressive stealth.

Count D watched in disturbed fascination as Jill knelt down next to her colleague and began examining him with an unaccustomed desperation on her face.

Leon chose that moment to inhale deeply and let out a loud sigh. The young man's nose wrinkled briefly from the sudden sensation of rushing air passing out of it.

Jill stopped breathing, closed her eyes, and mouthed a grateful, "Thank you," to a God that she wasn't sure she deserved to trouble anymore with her problems. After opening her eyes again, she studied Leon for a moment longer, and then stood to face Count D with an apologetic smile.

Count D merely dismissed her actions silently with a sympathetic smile and slight shake of his head that ended with a brief bow. His smile deepened to one of reassurance, and he raised an arm to gesture towards another door that was further inside. She nodded her acknowledgement and thanks, before making her way past him and through the door which Count D held open for her.

The door led into a lovely kitchen, which Count D led Jill past and into a charming breakfasting cove that could have easily been used for a regular dining room. "Please, sit down, and I will make some tea for us," he said warmly after pulling a chair out from the table and offering it to her with a graceful wave of his hand.

"Thank you," she said, courteously taking a position in front of the chair and allowing her host to help her get seated. She took note of the way he met her eyes long enough to let her see the genuine pleasure he took in being allowed to aid in her comfort.

Jill was feeling measurably more relaxed now, after seeing that Leon was alive, safe, and…

A stifled giggle erupted out of Count D's newest guest. He turned, in the midst of taking things out of a cupboard, to see if the noise he heard was what he thought it sounded like. "What is it, Detective?" he asked with amused curiosity.

Clearing her throat, she glanced at the door that they'd come in through, and then looked at the place on the table in front of her with a wry smirk. "It's just that he looked…" tears welled up unexpectedly in her eyes and spilled down her face "…a little silly." Her breath hitched in a cut off sob, and she sat staring down at the table with a strained smile quavered on the corners of her mouth.

Count D sensed that Detective Freshney was struggling quite hard to hold her composure. He gave her a moment by filling the water kettle and setting it on the stove plate, before going to sit across from her and take her hand. "Please, what it is it that has you so deeply troubled, Detective?"

Jill lifted eyes filled with pleading and apology to him. Her head turned slowly from side to side in her helplessness to escape the torment which held her, "I—" Her answer seemed pathetic and in no way any justification for this…horrendous intrusion. She had to give this man a lot more reason for bothering him at this hour than a woman's silly… No, it was hardly silly, seeing Leon's…corpse…lying there in front of her, with lifeless eyes staring up and not actually able to see…

Abruptly, her eyes became fierce, and she forced the answer out in a low growl behind clenched teeth, "I…dreamed…that--that—_bastard-_**got**-him!"

Count D sensed already who she meant on that last, but he wanted to make certain. "Him?" His head tilted slightly, causing the rich black hair on one side to swing freely away from his face.

Just as abruptly, the fierceness left her after his question, and she was looking directly into his eyes again, somehow begging silently for forgiveness for letting such a thing happen her own dream. "Leon," she admitted, bereft. "The killer in the newest case we're working on…I dreamed that he'd killed Leon."

* * *


	8. Telling Dreams

Chapter 11 – Telling Dreams

* * *

T-Chan forced himself to feign sleep when Leon's coworker rushed towards him. He usually wasn't in the main guest room when any other humans were present, not visibly, at least. He recognized the scent: detective Freshney. His ears told him that her attention was on Leon, and that she was upset. The memory of Leon's phone going off in his pocket came back. Was it her that had been trying to call him? Would she be so upset that she'd come here so late to find him?

Leon inhaled deeply, and the other detective stopped breathing for a moment, and then whispered thanks to one of the human dieties. Why was she saying thanks for? Her breathing became more normal, and she stood up. The sound of Count D's movements joined hers, and they both made their way into the kitchen. When the sounds of their footsteps passed through the door into the next room, his ears picked up the sound of another movement near him.

T-Chan opened his eyes to find Ten-Chan standing at the end of the table, looking at the door as if he were seeing through it. Kitsune eyes met Totesu's. Ten-Chan moved towards the door swiftly and slipped through it before it closed.

* * *

Count D caught the flash of a moving figure in the door that he and the detective had come through. His head turned slightly, just enough to make eye contact with Ten-Chan. The Kitsune tilted his head ever so slightly, and his expression clearly asked if everything was under control. Count D moved his head with a slow, downward tilt to convey affirmation, then looked fully at Jill and waited for her to go on.

"Why do you think you would dream such a thing about Leon?" He asked Jill with the faintest note of wonder in his calming voice.

Jill found herself mildly startled by her host's question. She'd been so entrapped in emotion by what she had dreamed, and the fact that she hadn't been able to get a hold of Leon, she actually hadn't asked herself the question just put to her. Her eyes moved to the door they had come through, as though something on the other side might hold an answer. As if she'd spotted that very answer, she looked back at Count D with slight reluctance.

"Has Leon told you anything about the case we're working on?" She asked with an expectant expression.

Count D nodded carefully and allowed her to go on as soon as she was ready.

"Leon and I were questioning people who knew the victims, to see if we could get any information about where they'd been going or who they'd been with." She seemed to comb through her memories for what she could share with him under professional guidelines. "A couple of the people that we spoke with said that Leon reminded them of the victims."

A slight smile twitched at the corners of Count D's lips. "I'm sure there are probably more than a handful of men Detective Orcot's age that may be quite a bit like himself."

The smile wasn't reflected in Detective Freshney's face. "It wasn't just that. The more that I looked over the reports, the more alike the lives of the victims were."

Memories of the conversation with Leon earlier seemed to connect with what Jill was saying now. "I realize that there may be things that you are going to be unable to tell me." He clarified in a reasuring manner. "Is it so rare that you find many similarities in two separate victims in a case such as this?"

Jill stiffened noticeably, her gaze on him sharply penitrating. "Not just two, or I'd be dismissing it a lot more easily." She confided.

Again, Jill's host tilted his head with a lack of understanding clearly in his expression. "More than two, then?"

Leon's partner regained the haunted, tormented look that she'd arrived with. "Four, now," she said with a slight quaver in her voice, "…that we've found, so far."

* * *

Ten-Chan made his way back to the guest parlor, where T-Chan had remained snuggly nestled against the pleasantly warm side of Leon's left thigh. The Totetsu opened his eyes with eager attention.

"How far do you think Orcot would go in order to catch someone he was after?" Kitsune asked Totetsu in a hushed tone.

T-Chan turned his head and shot Leon a knowing glance, then turned back to look at his housemate, "Far enough t'get himself killed," he murmered with what should have been careless ease, but now, the luxury of believing he didn't care was no longer there.

"I kinda thought you might say that," Ten-Chan whispered grimmly.

* * *


	9. Phantom and Angel PART 1 to 7

Phantom and Angel

* * *

PART 1

* * *

T-Chan studied Leon's face for some time after Ten-Chan returned by the back way to the kitchen to try and learn more.

Leon's eyes had started darting benieth their lids, and his body flinched several times. As the totetsu watched silently, the detective began releasing short, troubled sounds from low in his throat, and his breathing would quicken for a few seconds.

* * *

As Count D walked with her from the kitchen to the main entrance, Jill stopped and then went over to where her coworker was still sleeping. She crouched down beside Leon and reached a hand to his face to move a tendril of hair resting across his the bridge of his nose.

Wild, preditory eyes snapped open, and Leon's hand was suddenly locked on Jill's throat. "—pieceofshit—" Leon growled fiercely. Before Count D could interviene, Leon Orcot had shot out from his sleeping position on the couch to pin his collegue to the floor.

Airway closed off, Jill knew better than to fight back, and relaxed her body to cut down the need for oxygen. There was a chance of her and Leon coming out of this situation without serious injury. She stayed calm, gambling on the belief that not moving would keep him from feeling there was any threat.

T-Chan was too stunned and too inexperienced to know how to help humans in a situation like this, but Ten-Chan showed true to his tails and moved, in a flash over to the two detectives. Before anyone could grasp his intentions, he wrapped himself over Leon's face.

Leon was knocked backwards and instantly reacting out of instinct to pull off whatever was covering his head. Ten-Chan heard Jill's gasp for air when Leon's hand released her throat, and rolled his body over the top of the man's head. The kitsune was safely out of Leon's reach, just as the situation was quickly defused.

Realizing what Ten-Chan was doing, Count D quickly made it over to the two detectives and knelt, placing one hand on Jill's shoulder and raising the other in defensive readiness between them.

Jill's coughing drew Leon's attention back to her, but he was fulling awake now, trying to figure out what was going on. "SHIT!" He jumped away from his fellow police officer with a look of abject horror. Count D's eyes met his, sparing him any hint of accusation, and quickly turned back to examine Jill.

"Jill-" Leon breathed in disbelief, then covered his face with his hands in dispair. "Oh shit…" he groaned brokenly.

"Are you alright?" Count D asked calmly as he helped Jill sit up.

To everyone's surprise, Jill grinned and started to chuckle when her panting receeded. She nodded vigorously to the worried pet shop keeper. "Quite relieved, actually," she said wryly. She pulled away from Count D and closed the distance between her and Leon by placing a gentle hand on his knee. "It's alright, Leon," she told him soothingly, "I know you were having a bad dream."

Leon's bowed head thrashed from side to side. "Doesn't matter! I shouldn't've—"

Before her partner could finish, Jill took his face in her hands. "Don't let'im win, Leon," she said determinedly.

* * *

PART 2

* * *

Leon stared back at Jill with stricken eyes. "Why didn't y'break my arm when I grabbed you like that? I know y'could've!" He was too overwhelmed with contrition to manage any kind of believeable outrage.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Right, just what we all need at work—a 24 hour grouchy Leon Orcot that complains all day about cast-itch." She smirked all too knowingly.

T-Chan guessed that there wouldn't be anymore sudden movements to warrant him sinking his teeth into anyone, so he went over to Leon's side. He spared Jill a token glance and then gave his full, undivided attention to the more familiar detective.

"You sure picked a lousy time t'stop tryin t'take pieces outta of me." Leon stated when he noticed T-Chan next to him and looked into his expectant face.

Jill's attention was imediatedly drawn to the veiled form of the totetsu. A bright grin quickly replaced the grim sympathy on her pretty face. A faint, amused giggle was politely contained in her throat. "Is this the 'goat-thing' that you think is so—"

"Miller's been asking when you're gonna have an evening free so he can ask y'out!" Leon abruptly cut her sentence off with the odd, run-together statement, and held her gaze with a smug glint in his eyes.

After blinking at her coworked for a couple of bewildered seconds, her eyes narrowed menacingly when she realized she was being threatened with blackmail. She risked a sly glance over her shoulder at Count D and then acknowleged her understanding with silence and a barely discernable nod. Her hand reached out for the small looking totetsu to gently stroke the long hair with one finger.

The light touch sent a slight tingle through T-Chan's scalp, which was more annoying than pleasant. He shuddered, and then ducked away from the woman and decided to shove the top of his head into the nearest spot on Leon's side, right onto a rib.

"Ow—" Leon's eyes widened in consternation, then he remembered that the creature had been sleeping soundly next to him when he suddenly attacked his own friend. He curled the nearest arm around the unusual looking little guy and carefully drew him against himself with a brief, firm squeeze.

T-Chan recognized the simple gesture of comfort and reassurance, and marveled at the fact that Leon was trying to give him that. He wasn't sure how to react at the moment, other than to simply relax and rest his chin on the top of Leon's forearm. He could always eat him later, he decided distantly.

Leon's eyes fixed on the reddening splotches on Jill's neck. "Shit. We should get you t'a hospital and have a doc check y'over." His voice was filled with remorseful shame.

Jill's face puckered with distaste at the suggestion. "Nah. I'll just wear a scarf…or—I could just look pleased with myself and tell anyone who asks that it's nothing I have any complaints about…" She batted her eyelashes at him suggestively.

Count D chose that moment to rise, with seemingly no effort, and then bent to offer Jill help getting back up. "I have a salve and some healing herbs that will eliminate the marks before the morning sun rises," he offered as well.

"I don't want to put you to any more trouble…" Jill looked up with guilt darkening her expression.

A familiarly warm, dissarming smile curved the corners of Count D's mouth. "It's no more than what you, yourself, do to care for others, officer," his voice seemed to hint some sort of indirect gratitude.

Freshney gave up any pretense of arguing him out of it. "Thank you," she said, and let him guide her to sit comfortably on sofa.

Count D began making his way to the other side of the room. "Detective Orcot,"he began, and then paused to turn and look at Leon, "would you go into the kitchen and start some water boiling for the herbs? The kettle is in on the stove. You need only to empty what's in it into the sink and fill it halfway, if you would, please." He stood and waited patiently for Leon's reply.

Leon struggled to his feet, leaving T-Chan where he sat. "Uh, yeah, sure, D." He started to head for the kitchen, then turned back to Jill briefly. "Be back in a moment," he said in his eagerness to do something to make things up to her. He stopped where T-Chan was, crouched down to gather him in his arms and set him on the sofa next to her. "Don't dazzle her too much with your charms, dude, or you'll ruin'er for all the other guys," he said looking straight into T-Chan's eyes. With that, he whirled around and was swiftly off to boil water.

Jill rolled her eyes, but then gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Leon," she said with slight sarcasm to his retreating form.

When both men were safely in other rooms, Jill leaned down and murmered in the totetsu's nearest ear. "Leon says that he thinks you're.." she paused and glanced to check the door Leon had dissappeared behind, then dropped her voice to a mere whisper 'totally wicked cool.'" She quickly sat upright and looked down at him with a sparkle in her eyes"—but don't tell'im I said that," she finished with a short giggle, then winked mischieviously. "Not his _exact_ words, mind you, except for the 'wicked cool' part, but close enough." She crossed one leg over the other, laced her fingers over her knee and began rotating her foot in small circles to ease her restlessness. "I hope whatever it is, isn't gonna make me smell like a tube of Ben Gay."

* * *

Phantom and Angel part 3

* * *

"I'll go make sure the guy doesn't destroy things while he's in there," Ten-Chan had said before leaving for the kitchen after Leon in a swish of tails.

—_wicked cool_—

T-Chan's eyes darted descretely from detective Freshney's face to the quickly worsening marks on her neck.

Leon had interrupted her with that weird question when she was asking if T-Chan was the 'goat-thing' that he thought was— That was what? Totally wicked cool? Was that what she was about to say when Leon cut her off?

What a rediculous thing for the woman to be worrying about; how she'd _smell_ after Count D gave her stuff to help heal her.

Sharp preditory vision could make out the tell-tale signs of deeper tissue violation. The glow of heat was building underneith the reddening patches of skin, and the pristine valleys of feminine neck were rising where Leon's powerful grip had crushed into them. That must have been why Count D had asked Leon to go start some water boiling for him.

Impressive to a young totetsu. After all, Leon had dissarmed him only by using his skill with a tool, rather than his own natural strength.

It was ironic. Leon's smoking habit may have actually saved his own life. No. It _had_ saved his life. As Wong, T-Chan had eyed Leon, at the very first sight of him, with emence dissappointment. He would have been nearly as exquisit to feast on as Count D—if his body hadn't _reeked_ of toxins.

T-Chan willed away a shiver that threatened the length of his spine. Those same hands had ensnared him, when the detective had barged in, and he'd lunged at the human in his still-fresh hunger for vengance. Those same hands had done nothing more than cage him, and sheild human vital spots from his eager fangs and claws. His mind replayed the image of the female detective's face as it began to turn a dangerous shade of purple before Ten-Chan's intervension. Leon could have done that to him, if anything, as a show of strength…

'_Fucking' wicked cool_?

T-Chan turned to look over at Count D, an alien sense of concern for Leon's feelings was rising in him. "Orcot's gonna totally flip out when he comes back in here and sees how much worse his friend's neck is getting."

_Then I don't want him to come in here…yet._ Count D told Q-Chan quietly in Chinese.

Q-Chan fluttered off grimly in the alternate route to the kitchen.

* * *

Leon had just finished pouring out the unused tea water from earlier into the sink. When he started back to the stove with the freshly filled kettle, he found Ten-Chan sitting on the kitchen floor watching him. He stopped in his tracks, and returned the interested gaze. He smirked slightly. "Did y'get sent in here t'make sure I don't burn the water?"

"Nope. I volenteered," Ten-Chan replied proudly, although, to Leon's mind, he merely barked a couple of times.

It was at that moment when Q-Chan entered the kitchen and perched on the counter next to the stove.

Leon shrugged and finished getting the water on the burner. "I'm not out of my element yet," he told the kitsune, smugly. "Havin' broken coffee makers—or no coffee maker at all, got me t'learn the fine art of boiling water REALLY well. He reached out and twisted the knob to HI, then let his arm flop to his side and noticed that Q-Chan had joined the audience. "It's when I try t'take it a step further an'do something like…oh, cook rice—well, I stopped trying after I emptied the third fire extinguisher." He bent down and folded his arms at the edge of the counter in front of him. "And it's all D's fault," he stated to Q-Chan casually.

"**kYU!" **Q-Chan bellowed in outrage. Small claws balled into fists at round, fury sides, and the little creature trembled angrily as he stared back at the human.

"Oh, sure…jump at _his_ defense, like always." Leon rolled his eyes dramatically. "Le'me tell y'something…D was _totally_ _SELFISH_. He had that grandfather of'is, with the headful of worldly knowledge and social ettiquite _and_ time t'spend with'im…" He waved his arm around to emphasize his words. "If he'd _shared_ the guy, once in a while, with other kids, instead of hogging'im all to'imself, there'd be more guys like the one in the room with Jill and fewer like the one in here." His arm flopped back over the other with a soft thud.

Ignoring Q-Chan's usual ire, Leon scowled at the little winged ball of fluff. "I was _just_ _joking_, dude." He breathed out a long sigh of resignation, rested the side of his head on top of his arms and looked at the kitchen door while stabbing the toe of one foot into the floor. "I wonder if D knows what a lucky kid he was t'have someone like'is granddad teach'im all those things when he was growin' up..." he said dreamily.

Q-Chan's taut muscles snapped slack like a rubberband, and he blinked as though he'd been stunned senseless. When he'd regained his barings, Leon was staring across the kitchen, at some distant memory, perhaps. He waddled over to Leon's arm and placed a paw carefully on it. "Q?" He looked into Leon's face, searching intently.

Leon flinched out of his reverie and lifted up his head to look at Q-Chan. "Huhn? Oh, yeah." He spoke, as if he'd actually heard Q-Chan's question about his parents. "I had parents, but my dad was working most of the day." He frowned, "The summer break, after my very first year of school, I realized I could learn all of the things that my parents knew." He smiled whistfully. "One day, mom was starting to cook dinner, and I asked if she could teach me how t'cook. She seemed kinda happy that I wanted t'learn, so she showed me what I could do t'help that wouldn't get me burned'r cut." He straightened up and turned his gaze to the warming kettle. "I was impatient, though…" he cast a quick glance at Q-Chan, "if you can imagine that…" He averted his eyes quickly to watch the kettle again. "I wanted t'learn t'make everything she knew how to…_that_ day." He folded his arms and leaned against the edge of the counter with his hip. " Dad came home that evening, and found out that I wanted mom to teach me how t'cook. After dinner, he talked her into taking care of the laundry while he and I cleaned the kitchen back up for her. When we were drying the dishes, he told me that I shouldn't bother mom any more when she was trying t'get things done, and just help out when she asked…that I should go play with the other kids in the neighborhood and stay outta her hair." He shrugged, looking down sadly. "I didn't realize that I'd just been bothering her, or wanna be in'er way, so I did what my dad told me."

The human bolted up, suddenly agitated, and twisted to glare at the kettle with fists planted on his hips. "How come this shit always takes forever t'boil when you're not trying t'do something else while you're waiting for it t'fucking boil?"

Q-Chan launched himself determinedly to perch on Leon's nearest shoulder. He stroked the the taut cord in Leon's neck and made soft trilling sounds in the man's ear intended to soothe him.

"What in _thee_ fuck?" Leon restrained himself from turning his head so that he didn't make the tiny creature fall off. He reached across with the opposite arm and plucked Q-Chan off of himself. "We interrupt this program to give you an important announcement:" Leon began in miniturized King Kong fashion, "I'm twenty fucking four years old now, and make a living hunting and catching murderers. Kindly _knock_ off the mush and just go the fuck back t'bitching at me like you usually do." He set Q-Chan back down on the countertop like an unneeded poofy salt shaker. "Why ruin a good thing, anyway?" He asked the now-hissing kettle irritably.

"Q…" Q-Chan murmered with feigned indignity. He eyed Leon for the rest of the time it took for the kettle to finally let out a whistle. The expression on his tiny face was far from indignant, though.

Ten-Chan had stretched out on the floor silently, a forgotten audience. He'd stopped paying attention to Leon when he saw something in Q-Chan's eyes that he'd never seen before whenever Leon was around: sincere interest.

* * *

PART 4

* * *

Count D covertly started a special incense burning before returning with a small silver tray to where Jill was waiting. He noticed an odd expression on T-Chan's face as he placed the tray on the table. There was a small, ornate jar in the center of the tray He began to busy himself with removing the lid from the jar and setting it down noiselessly on the tray, then picked up what looked like a small, flat stick of jade with rounded, smooth edges. "Is everything all right?"

T-Chan's keen hearing told him that the question was actually directed at him, although he knew the woman would assume she was the one being asked.

"Yes," Jill answered as expected. "I just feel as though I should go, and let you get back to bed. I've got a lot of lightweight knit tops that would cover my neck until-"

Although it was a bit out of his character to do so, unless the situation warrented, Count D interjected. "If I've done or said anything that is making you uncomfortable with the idea of staying here any longer, then you have my deepest apology." He bowed his head and brought it back up with contritely downcast eyes.

Jill gave the faithfully kind man a sympathetic smile, "No. You haven't," she tried to reasure him.

Count D smiled warmly and dipped the tip of the stick into the jar, and then brought it to one of the discolorations on her neck.

Count D's question wasn't an unusual one. Ever since he'd come to the pet shop, T-Chan would withdraw from the others from time to time, adjusting to new ways of thinking than what he'd arrived with. Now that his ways of thinking were changing, he felt somehow embarrassed by it. And that, he was now suspecting, was something that he had in common with Leon.

Why should it matter if Leon thought he was 'fucking wicked cool'? What kind of decent totetsu would he be if it did? Damnit, but he wanted some reason to be in the kitchen where Leon was. New ways of thinking, notwithstanding, it seemed that reverse psychology worked almost as well here as it had out in the world of humans.

T-Chan leaned his face towards Jill and sniffed accessively, then tilted his head in contemplation before turning to Count D. "She smells a lot better than Orcot. If I ate her, she wouldn't have to work with that pain-in-the-ass anymore. Wouldn't that qualify as an act of mercy?" He blinked with an innocently casual look, as if expecting Count D's approval.

Jill merely saw and heard Leon's 'freaky goat' bark softly a couple of times to the pet shop owner.

Count D's eyes slid over to peer at the totetsu. "Perhaps." With a calmly amused smile, he reached over to the tray with his free hand and picked up a small cloth pouch which was closed with string. Holding it in his palm for T-Chan, he asked smoothly, "Would you please take this into the kitchen, T-Chan, so that it can be prepared. I think the water should be ready by now."

BOOYAH!

"Sure. If you hear yelling, though, I'm just adding a little protein t'the stuff." T-Chan took the bag of herbs from Count D's hand as if he were bored and there wasn't anything else to do. In truth, he'd wanted to grab the thing and be in the kitchen five minutes ago. With one of the greatest exertions of self control, he headed for the kitchen without the slightest hurry.

"Of course, T-Chan. I'm sure Detective Freshney will greatly appreciate it." A note of warning in Count D's voice followed the totetsu on his way to the kitchen entry.

* * *

PART 5

* * *

Leon's attention had been drawn back to the kettle when the hissing died down and changed to a soft sort of rumble. He waited for the tell-tall waft of steam to spew out of the spout. A few seconds latter, he was seeing it, as well as hearing a cheerful whistling begin. A corner of his mouth twitched up in a pleased smile, when a flash of memory unexpectedly came to him of a similar kettle his mother used. Strangely, the simple idea of something that was not only ordinary, but something from the years of his childhood, seemed to make up for all the strange things that nagged at his gut about D. Well, almost all of them.

The young detective's smile deflated, after the image of his mother became clearer and suddenly reminded him of Jill. Being careful, due to previous experiences, to keep his arm from coming directly over the small fountain of steam, he turned the burner down to LOW. At that same moment, his ears picked up the faint sound of claws clicking softly on the floor behind him. He turned to find T-Chan coming toward him with a small cloth pouch in his mouth.

T-Chan stopped, and looked up at Leon, waiting for him to figure out that the cloth pouch was for him to deal with. His skin prickled slightly at seeing Leon at the stove.

The totetsu had come to considered it his stove, and his kitchen, the only part of his old life that hadn't been ripped from him after Leon had captured him as Wong. It had been the only thing that D could offer him in exchange for agreeing not to continue feeding on the local humans as he had been. Now, here was the very man who had ended his freedom in the world of humans.

Feelings that had been safely hidden from his awareness were now rising back up—and clashing with ones that were newly forming. His stomach suddenly fluttered, and he felt like he needed to sit down. Forgetting about what Leon would actually see, T-Chan went over to the small table that still had the scent of Detective Freshney clinging to it. He pulled out one of the chairs, sat down, and dropped the pouch onto the table, then became lost in a swirl of memories and feelings.

Leon had been expecting T-Chan to come to him and either wait for him to take the pouch, or drop the thing at his feet. What he saw T-Chan do next brought him back to the feeling of surreality in this place. For whatever reason made him do it, he looked to Q-Chan and Ten-Chan for some sort of clue to whatever this situation meant. To his unease, he found them both looking at each other with disturbed confusion.

Shit. If something was weird to _**them**_, he was in serious trouble. After a moment of indecision, he went over to T-Chan and lightly grasped what he thought were the little guy's shoulders. "You alright, T?" Leon's eyes searched T-Chan's face with unchecked worry. His thumbs unconsciously began stroking up and down over the curve where his arms connected to his body.

Even after what had happened recently, T-Chan found himself shocked at being the direct recipient of Leon's concern. He was so use to seeing contempt and doubt, anger and confusion on this human's face, the expression he was seeing now just seemed...wrong. If he hadn't felt Leon's hands on his shoulders, and the large thumbs moving up and down gently, he might have turned away, or at least squirmed. At first, he could only stare back, unsure of what to do, but wanting things to go back to...whatever it 'should' be. An unexpected idea came to him suddenly, and it took a second or two for him to decide whether or not to act upon it.

Before Leon could fully realized what was going on, T-Chan's head had quickly darted towards his face, and he'd felt something warm and soft with a slightly rough surface brush the tip of his nose. He flinched back a bit, and frowned in confusion. "Did you just LICK me?" The man sputtered out the question in utter consternation.

T-Chan simply sat, looking back at him calmly, with one swish of his tail in answer.

* * *

PART 6

* * *

Leon stood up and looked down at T-Chan, bringing a hand up to his nose and wiping it slightly. There was a sly smirk on his face now. "Dude, y'r'gonna make y'r'self sick if y'keep doing that kinda shit." As if completely disregarding the unexpected occurrence, he picked up the pouch and pulled it open to look into it. "Must be the herbs D mentioned."

A few short strides brought the human back to the stove to lean his head over the kettle. Seemingly at a loss, he gripped the handle and pushed the 'button' down that made the whistle/cover over the pour-spout open. "Am I suppose to just dump the stuff in there with the water?" In all appearances, he seemed to be wondering out loud.

"KYU!" Q-Chan's screech alarmed everyone in the room. His wings opened suddenly and his arms flailed in desperate warning. "Kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu!"

As if completely expecting the reaction from at least one of them, Leon grinned wickedly and slowly straightened. Seeing Q-Chan's earnest aggitation, his face softened with amused compassion."Easy, Q! I was just joking! You're gonna blow out your vocal cords doin that, dude, and then who's gonna help D bitch me out, cuz y'know very well that's more than a one-person job."

Q-Chan didn't so much calm instantaneously as he more or less froze in mid-panic. His wings retracted cautiously, and the little 'hands' came together primly. He looked up into Leon's face with a deadpan expression. A perfect moment later, the little creature replied with an erie air of dignity, "Kyu."

It was a warm smirk that settled on Leon's face this time. "That's what I thought," he murmured ruefully. He plunked the small sack on the counter near Q-Chan and turned to T-Chan. "Okay, T! You're gonna have t'take over now, unless y'wanna see how much damage I can actually do in a kitchen."

Not even daring to take this cue as a joke, and because he actually wanted to do something that made him feel like he was on solid ground, T-Chan got off of the chair, and then hauled it with him over to where Leon was.

Too stunned to think that the little guy might hurt his teeth or jaw dragging a probably-good-quality wood chair across the kitchen like that, Leon watched until T-Chan made it over to him. Again, before Leon could come to his senses, T-Chan was on the chair again, and pulling the top drawer open, seemingly with his mouth. A moment later, he brought out a small handled strainer that would easily submerse in a teacup. Dropping the object with a clank on the counter, T-Chan was opening the cupboard door above the counter.

To Leon, it appeared as thought T-Chan had jumped from the seat of the chair to the counter-top to reach the cupboard he was opening. Seeing comparatively plain teacups arranged neatly inside with small matching saucers on the shelf above them, he moved to help.

T-Chan moved aside without protest as Leon took down one of the teacups and saucers. As soon as that was done, though, he picked up the strainer and set it to rest with the net inside the cup.

"Here." Leon picked up the sack, thinking it was going to be too much trouble for a little goat creature to deal with effectively. "The whole thing?" He looked to Q-Chan for help, and was answered with a reassuring nod. Animals couldn't possibly understand people's words so well, and the hair on the back of his neck prickled softly. Regardless, he held the pouch upside-down over the strainer mouth, and dumped the entire contents of it out. He noticed, unconsciously, that T-Chan was moving on the opposite side of the teacup as he was waiting to see if any more herb flakes would fall out. Holding the mouth of the pouch where he could look into it, he tossed it down onto the counter, and then realized with horror-widened eyes where T-Chan was.

Quickly, but gingerly, Leon's arms shot out to swiftly scoop the little goat creature off of the stove-top and transfer him down to the seat of the chair.

"You idiot!" T-Chan was surprised only long enough to be moved to where Leon had put him. "I know a whole-hell of a lot better how to handle myself in the kitchen then you do!"

"I don't care how well D's trained you in the kitchen, or even if you know how t'cook as good as Wong did, I'm not lettin you get burned! End of discussion!" Leon shot back stubbornly.

T-Chan stared up at Leon, not sure whether to feel incensed or complimented.

Leon noticed that there was a sudden stillness in the kitchen that went beyond silence. He toned down his attitude a few notches and added with quiet resolve. "I'm not letting anyone else in this house get hurt, if I can help it , especially not because of me." He let out a disheartened sigh. "If y'could tell me when I've poured in enough water...Jill wouldn't have t'keep waiting..." If T-Chan could really understand him, then he needed to get across just how much he meant what he'd just blurted out. "Please." His voice had the faintest quaver to it.

It finally dawned on T-Chan why D was so patient with Leon. Even though the guy argued at the drop of a hat, he wasn't hell bent on insisting that he was always right. It was just that he seemed to insist on things being his way so that he felt like he knew what to do...to protect other people, most times. "O-_kay_." He gave a half swish of his tail in relenting.

Okay, Leon thought, maybe it was because of how late it was, and/or that he hadn't been sleeping that well lately, but the idea that his kitchen companions actually understood what he was saying... Since he couldn't just walk away and leave the unsettling thoughts behind him until he knew that Jill was going to be okay, he reached for the tea kettle. "Um...okay, then. Here goes." He pushed the lever to the spout cover, and tipped the steaming water out slowly.

When the water had come just above the top of the herb flakes, Leon heard T-Chan bark softly. He quickly righted the kettle and pulled it away from the cup. "There?"

T-Chan made a soft grunt in his throat and gave a full swish of his tail in affirmation.

"Kyu." Q-Chan's tiny chirp-squeek sounded almost encouraging.

"Alrighty, then." Leon was talking to himself, more than he was the others, because he was trying to recover from the idea that he wasn't doing damage in an unfamiliar kicthen because D's pets were in there helping him. He looked down and the teacup, and realized that the strainer was going to have to be taken out before Jill could drink from it, and it would be dripping all over whatever had the misfortune of being under it. With that thought, he opened the cupboard again and looked at the upper shelf. There was a single, glass tray, big enough to hold two teacups with saucers under them. He pulled it down carefully, and set it on the counter, then took another saucer and teacup from the lower shelves and set it on the tray, before adding the stewing one to it.

"Kyu." Q-Chan seemed to be giving Leon a due bit of praise.

"Well," Leon had only guessed what sort of comment Q-Chan had made, "I probably couldn't have done as well as I have if D wasn't so good at organizing his kitchen. That's probably just another one of the things his Granddad taught him." He shrugged, trying not to let the feeling of relief show that he had for the things to be found easily enough for even him. He looked down at the tray in contemplation of anything he might need to add to it.

Q-Chan made his way carefully to Leon's left hand as it rested on the counter by one side of the tray. He peered up at Leon's face questioningly again. "Kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu?"

Leon's gaze went to the flying fluffball. He felt like he'd swallowed a huge chunk of glacier that was sitting heavily in his stomach. "He taught me that a man doesn't let the one's he's suppose t'take care of ever see'im bleedin." His voice was soft and solemn. With that last confession, he picked up the tray as carefully as he could, and headed for the room where Jill and D were. "I hope y'got a thingy of sugar in there, just in case this stuff needs it!" He bellowed after pushing open the door. Once again, he was acting his usual, snarky self.

* * *

Phantom And Angel PART 7

* * *

Jill was still sitting patiently on the sofa, her head tilted slightly so that D could see where to apply the salve.

Leon had set the tray that he was carrying right up against the edge of the one D was working from. Looking at Jill's throat, and then meeting the softly smiling eyes of hers, he let himself down next to the table in a kneeling position. "Too bad I don't have a camera on me. I could make a few bucks with a picture of you posing like that."

Q-Chan fluttered from behind Leon to land on a vacant space of the table's surface.

Jill's eyes seemed to ignite with a sparkle as they narrowed slyly. Her jaw moved, and the two men were expecting some sort of comeback. She merely poked her tongue out briefly between her lips at Leon .

Leon snorted softly. "Picture o'that woulda gotten me f-lippin' rich."

Jill clamped her eyes shut, and held back a laugh as she blushed prettily.

D chuckled softly at his guests' interactions, then he turned his head to look at the two teacups, noting that one was empty. He realized he'd forgotten to ask Leon to do just so. "Apparently Q-Chan and T-Chan were able to help you out sufficiently?"

Leon's face began to color, and his eyes glazed as they seemed to begin a search for something on the rug. He finally lifted his head up, more or less, but he wouldn't meet his eyes. "Well, you don't think any of us woulda come out alive if I'd done a solo performance, do you?"

Setting the jade stick down on its tray, D twisted slightly to pick up the empty teacup and hold it over the edge of the other as he transferred the strainer. "Mmm. I suppose you could have a point, my dear detective." His eyes flicked to meet Q-Chan's long enough to give the creature a wink. Setting the first cup down, he picked up the other with the warm, fragrant liquid in it, holding it up to Jill in offering. "Please-" he urged gently.

"Kyu! Kyu-kyu-kyu!" Q-Chan said enthusiastically as he looked up at D.

D turned his head and was listening intently to his friend, then slid knowingly amused eyes in Leon's direction, "Apparently our dear detective possesses greater modesty than he lets on."

Leon's eyes locked on the little creature for a moment until he smiled innocently and casually turned his head to release a combination cough/sneeze into his fist that sounded suspiciously like, "snitch!"

Jill straightened her neck and took the cup, bringing it to her lips immediately and sipping experimentally. "Mm. It almost has a minty flavor," she commented appreciatively.

Leon seemed to be watching with a slightly dazed expression, and then frowned after Jill finished and handed the cup back to D . "Is she gonna be able t'drive after drinking that?"

D stilled, and then turned to give Leon a chilling glance.

One of D's usual snippettier-than-thou answers was what Leon expected, a thing that he hadn't consciously realized had become dependably reassuring. That look, though, was like a long, narrow arctic ice-cycle plunged with an assassin's expertise into his chest.

This time, he actually hadn't meant to suggest that D might be slipping Jill something along the lines of controlled substances. It was just that he'd suddenly remembered Jill telling her how the chamomile tea her mother gave her whenever she was sick never failed to knock her out until she was in her late teens. What if this stuff had the same affect when she was between here and her apartment?

No. He realized, albeit to late, that D would have had that in mind before offering it to her, and would have mentioned it. His eyes slid shut in self loathing. "Fuck." He breathed out the curse of disgust at his laps in thinking. Here D was trying to help Jill, and he'd been a blithering idiot asking a question that suggested Jill might be at risk. The sudden pain and self-directed fury tapped his adrenalin, and he was able to shoot up from his kneeling position. With a renewed, anger-fueled grace, he stalked back to the kitchen.

"He's actually good at reasonable deduction—when he isn't running himself into the ground." Jill's soft voice had quavered just enough to send an alarming ache though the Asian man's being.

Returning his attention to her, D found a forced smile of bravery on her face and pleading eyes cradled in welling tears. "Would you excuse me long enough to go make my apologies to our dear…Leon?"

Jill's throat flexed in a swallow to push down the crushing ache that had been threatening to burst out in a sob. She blinked the unshed tears back to wherever unshed tears went, and replied with a nod and obvious relief, "Absolutely." She looked at him for a moment with additional gratitude, but then struggled with what she wanted to tell him. "I really need to get going…" She seemed anxious and apologetic again.

D nodded in understanding, then reached out and gently squeezed Jill's forearm with a warm smile to reassure her. When he was certain she would be alright alone, he went to the kitchen…as though approaching a guillotine.

Leon was sitting at the table, an unlit cigarette between his lips, and his right hand twirling the metal lighter on the table top by one corner.

"I came to offer an apology, detective." D found himself doubting that was being sincere enough in his effort.

Leon's ever so slight shoulder twitch was the only visible change in his reaction. " 'make my own bed. Don't got any right complainin' when I roll onto a lump."

It startled D, that Leon could reveal so much recognition of when he was at fault for his circumstances, and with such a mundane clichet . He was certain, however, that trying to offer a pardon for his slight was going to be met with resistance. Fortunately, he was starting to get a feel for how to dispel Leon's brooding. "She dreamed that you'd been murdered, detective."

Leon looked up and simply stared at D for a few seconds, fighting not to shiver from the cascade of chills blossoming up his spine. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

The barest upward movement of an elegant ebony brow brought Leon's attention to the violet circle that lit with the faint flicker of amusement. "I suppose that was because I felt that there were more important things to focus on, detective."

Leon's head lowered in shame and he stared bleakly at the floor. He lifted it up again, with a searching expression when he felt D's hand on his shoulder.

D's eyes were filled with more intense warmth than Leon was use to perceiving. "She's expressed a desire to return to her home, and I'm in agreement. She should get as much as sleep as possible now. Perhaps we should walk her to her car and see that she's on her way home safely."

Leon nodded silently, the darkness replaced by an almost boyish expression of purposefulness. He let D guide him with a gentle hand on his back to where Jill was waiting. He gave his coworker and friend a shy smile tinged with uncertainty and guilt, and found himself being clung to, almost feeling her anxiety and relief as strongly as his own. He hugged her back carefully, feeling as though he might be doing something wrong.

"I need to get back home," she said softly into his shoulder.

"Yeah, I know," Leon said with a little more of his old self confidence. "We'll walk y'out t'your car, 'kay?"

Jill pulled away and looked into his face fondly, "Yeah. I'd appreciate it." She picked up her purse and turned to look at D as he moved toward the door. "Thank you, so much, again."

D bowed his head slightly, "Think nothing of it."

Jill stopped toe to toe with him, childlike mischief brightening her face, "Yeah-right."

The smile on D's face brightened by mega-lumens as he held the door for her and Leon to exit the shop ahead of him.

They reached Jill's car, where she pulled a collection of keys out of her purse and started to unlock the door to the driver's side.

Leon took a reluctant step towards her, taking a hold of the top of the door, debating whether to say what he was thinking or not. "Look, uh, Jill…if there's anything I can do t'make all this up t'you, don't hesitate t'ask."

Jill looked into his face in mild irritation that he wouldn't forgive himself. The light in the lot showed her what she hadn't seen in the light of the pet shop. It wasn't just the circles under Leon's eyes, but the alien lack of clarity in them. Her brow drew down severely with her concern. "Maybe you should let me drive you home. I don't think you've had a decent night's sleep in over a week now. You can nap on the way to your apartment."

Leon stiffened, sensing a change in expression on D's face, but resisting the urge to turn and look. He shifted uncomfortably where he stood. "Nah. I'll be fine, plen'y of time t'sleep."

"You're welcome to spend the night here, Leon. "

Leon had to fight the urge to shiver again at hearing D call him by his first name.

Jill had to refrain from literally jumping at D's suggestion. "That actually sounds like a good idea, Leon. You should stay here tonight. I'd give you a little extra time to sleep."

It took a force of will for Leon to keep from actually yelling, "Outta the question-especially not after what I just did t'you! Everyone's better off with me locked away in my own apartment where I can't hurt anyone."

Jill's eyes seemed to challenge him stubbornly. "You said _anything_."

Leon almost stumbled back at her words, but managed to stand steady. He glanced down for just a second, then met her gaze. "Yeah, I did…and I meant it. Alright, I'll crash out here the rest of the night."

"Don't worry." D's hands slid over one of Leon's shoulders. "I promise not to let any of my demonic creatures eat anything that you can't live without."

Leon could only manage to give D a wry smirk before turning back to Jill. "I guess no'n'll notice any difference if I come t'work with nothin' in the space b'tween my ears, hunh?"

"Leon!" Jill's head dropped to one side and she planted a fist on one hip in exasperation.

Leon's eyes crinkled in a mischievous smirk, and he poked his tongue out briefly at her, the way she'd done to him earlier.

Jill's head dropped forward as she surrendered to laughter, which ended shortly. She moved forward quickly enough to kiss Leon's cheek before climbing into the car and letting Leon close the door for her.

Leon stepped backwards until he was leaning back against his own car and watched until Jill's car was out of sight. He let his eyes slide shut with relief and his head drop back until it was resting on the roof of his car. It was a mistake. Not only did he feel like he wasn't going to be able to move again, but his legs were sending him messages of impending failure.

"I believe my bed would be considerably more comfortable, my dear detective." There was the unmistakable sound of a suppressed smile in that silky voice.

Miraculously, Leon was able to bring his head back up to gape at D. "Your bed?" Leon lifted a dubious eyebrow.

D's eyes slid to one side, and he brought a shapely nailed index finger to his lips. "Well, it's actually my grandfather's bed…although…he did often tell me that all that was his was mine as well." His eyebrows lifted in overly pleased musing, and then he looked to Leon's face once more to see the reaction.

His sleep-deprived mind wasn't working as quickly as he was use to, and he realized that he'd been watching D with a muddled admiration for the subtle theatrics. Leon, being who and what Leon was, got eventually got caught up to where he would be if he hadn't been so sleep deprived. "T…J…S…W…" he stated with quiet, unflustered conviction. That said, he let his head drop back again to the car top, with a rather disturbingly loud thud. "—ow—" The word was little more than a pathetic whine.

"Leon!" D rushed to the detective's side and pulled the man's hand around his own shoulders like a badly made shawl. "Up you go, detective. I'll not have the rumor of transients camping in my alley dampening my business." He pulled back, trying to haul the tired officer upright.

"Uuuuunh-maaaaaam-jus five more minutes-pleeeeeease-" Leon whined playfully.

"Don't 'mom' me, young man." D playfully scolded back.

With an over exaggerated huff, Leon struggled to stand. "Ooookaaaay. I'm up-I'm up. Yeesh!" He staggered slightly. Trying to regain his equilibrium, even with D helping him, was becoming an increasing challenge. The ground was suddenly in his line of sight, and his mind seemed to be making randomly off-the-wall connections. "I suppose that asphalt isn't as spongy as it kinda looks, hunh?" He was beginning to sound as though he might be drunk.

"Hardly." D replied with wry amusement.

Leon stopped letting himself be propelled forward, and struggled to contemplate something. "Tha—that's almost a play on words."

"You're starting to scare me, Leon." D's voice was thick with sarcasm.

The detective blinked. "I'm sorry." There was practically no hint that he even slightly fathomed what he was saying.

D froze, looking at him sternly. "Congratulations, Leon. You've scared me."

The gaze Leon fixed on D was broken by another slow blink. "I did?" More gazing—another blink. More blinking—another gaze. "You don't look scared." His observation had a rather innocent sort of wonder.

"I'll try to work on it. Will that help?" D had gone back to his more engaging sarcasm.

"Help what?" Leon managed to ask with a rapidly shutting down brain.

Mismatched eyes looked the other man over, "Help me take care of the things that I used to treat Miss Freshney."

The innocent stare soon clouded over with guilt. "Uh, yeah, sure." The strong emotion led him to more wakefulness, and he allowed D to finish guiding him back into the shop.

By the time they'd entered the front door, though, Leon had forgotten that he'd said he would help with something, or that there had been anything to help with. He'd become focused on comprehending what was in front of him, the lighting and fatigue making things seem less recognizable.

They were stopping. There was a bed in front of him. The bed was clicking. No. The floor was clicking. No. Something on the floor was clicking. A lot of somethings on the floor were clicking. "Almost reminds me of tap dancing…" The quasi disconnected thought floated through Leon's brain, and out his mouth.

"Don't let T-Chan hear you say that," D warned quietly.

Not connecting the tapping sound and T-Chan, Leon turned to D in renewed confusion. "Don't let T-Chan hear me say what?"

"That you want to throw yourself at my mercy and let me tear your liver out through your throat." T-Chan stopped to stand with D and Leon.

Leon looked down to where the voice had come from. He saw T-Chan. He forgot that he'd never heard T-Chan speak. He forgot that he'd never heard any animal speak…that wasn't in a movie. His brain had interests of its own. It wasn't interested that a doggish looking sheep just said something. It was interested in matching images to the words the sheep shouldn't have said. "Would my liver even fit through my throat?"

D was completely startled by Leon's question

"Is he drunk?" T-Chan demanded with distaste.

"No I'm not drunk, y'bitchy little rave wig." Leon's face twisted into one of his fiercer scowls, and he pulled himself loose from D's hold, then stood, readying himself for…whatever. He failed.

Just as D gasped and let out a scandalized, "Leon Orcot!", T-Chan processed what Leon had hit him with—and crumpled to the floor in a twitching heap.

Both Leon and D crouched down to the floor with mutual panic for T-Chan.

"T-Chan?" D reached a hand to the totetsu fearfully.

T-Chan shoved himself over onto his back with a thrust of his hind leg…and let out a howl of laughter. "B-BI-BITCHY—RA—RAVE WIG!" He'd totally lost himself to hysteria.

"Oh-honestly!" D hissed in exasperation. He looked up accusingly at Leon. "Detective, I believe you're contaminating my children."

Of course, Leon had to contemplate just how to answer. He was supposed to answer, wasn't he? He looked back down at T-Chan, and seemed to be struggling with another troubling thought. "Didn't think what I said was that funny…even if I did say it myself." He forced his thoughts forward again, but missed. "Wouldn't my stomach block my liver?"

D stared at Leon blankly, sensing that he might be on the edge of defeat. He wasn't going down without a fight…of some kind, at least. He parted his lips with the tip of his tonge, and pointed a lethal looking index finger in front of Leon. "Bed!" The word was dripping with dire finality.

Still having to blink a couple of times before responding, Leon gave D an irreverent salute, "Aye-aye Cap'in Croonch," he said with a half-assed Spanish accent. As soon as his reply was out of his mouth, he shot up, went over to the bed, and sat down on the nearest side of it with a satin and down quilt poof.

* * *

A/N: I want to say a word of thanks for the encouraging reviews and 'faving'. They've really given me the motivation I need to keep working on this story, especially during my spells of writers block.


	10. Phantom and Angel part 8

* * *

**Phantom and Angel - PART 8**

* * *

T-Chan shoved himself over onto his back with a thrust of his hind leg…and let out a howl of laughter. "B--BI--BITCHY—RA—RAVE WIG!!" He'd totally lost himself to hysteria.

"Oh-honestly!" D hissed in exasperation. He looked up accusingly at Leon. "Detective, I believe you're contaminating my children."

Of course, Leon had to contemplate just how to answer. He was supposed to answer, wasn't he? He looked back down at T-Chan, and seemed to be struggling with another troubling thought. "Didn't think what I said was that funny…even if I did say it myself." He forced his thoughts forward again, but missed. "Wouldn't my stomach block my liver?"

D stared at Leon blankly, sensing that he might be on the edge of defeat. He wasn't going down without a fight…of some kind, at least. He parted his lips with the tip of his tonge, and pointed a lethal looking index finger in front of Leon. "Bed!" The word was dripping with dire finality.

Still having to blink a couple of times before responding, Leon gave D an irreverent salute, "Aye-aye Cap'in Croonch," he said with a half-assed Spanish accent. As soon as his reply was out of his mouth, he shot up, went over to the bed, and sat down on the nearest side of it with a satin and down quilt poof.

T-Chan fought to take in enough air in between the end of each peel of laughter that overtook him. One of those breaks seemed to get enough oxygen into his brain to fire realization in his mind. "Hey, wait a minute--" His laughter now stopped as if it had never started. He was up on his feet and looking at the human in disbelief.

"Definitely contaminated…" D murmured with a playful smirk as he started to move towards Leon.

_Hey!_ T-Chan thought a little indignantly, but got over it quickly enough to bolt over to Leon and sit on the bed next to him.

It seemed to take Leon a moment before he turned to look at T-Chan. When he did, his expression was dazed, far less coherent than his usual self. A few magical seconds later, his eyes seemed to focus and—warm. His slack lips lifted in a soft, pleased smile.

T-Chan felt a tingle through his fur. Leon was smiling at him in nearly the same welcoming, fond way that D looked at him with a lot. No, not the same, actually, more like when the Count's grandson was unexpectedly found at the receiving end of a human's genuine thoughtfulness. The expression quickly changed, however, to one of doubt, and then, almost one of hurt. The soft, dancing light in the human's eyes seemed to retreat before looking away and down at the floor.

"…sorry for what I called you, T, even if it did give ya a good laugh." Leon's apology was a whisper that a human probably wouldn't have been able to make out.

T-Chan had to think about what to say for a second. "Sorry I sounded like I wanted t'do something t' ya…and thinking you were drunk."

To his astonishment, Leon looked at him again, the warmth in his eyes returned, as well as a ghostly light of gratitude, _and_ relief drifting within them as well. Damn! Did it actually _matter_ to this guy what he thought about him?

The smile on Leon's lips seemed to deepen a moment later, and his eyes closed. When they didn't open again, T-Chan reached over and started to tug the nearest part of the leather shoulder holster that Leon still had on.

Leon's eyes snapped open, and he flinched slightly, but relaxed again when his eyes found that it was T-Chan messing with the shoulder strap of his holster...seemingly, with his teeth. He seemed to find the energy enough for a half-grin with a single raised brow.

"Off." T-Chan's insisting little grunt had a hint of inpatients to it.

A soft chuckle resonated in Leon's throat, and his eyes fell shut again as he expended yet more of his fading energy reserves to get the holster off. Once again, his eyes snapped open when he felt the holster being pulled slightly upward. He found D standing in front of him, helping him out of the weapon harness. He was feeling so wiped out, that he let D finish getting it off of him when it had been loosened enough, his eyes closing again.

"I'll set it here on the nightstand by the bed," D said softly, setting the holster gently down just where he said he would.

Leon nodded slightly, not even opening his eyes when he heard the soft clank of stiff leather and metal against hard wood covered by thin cloth. The muscles in his body slackened in increments with passing seconds.

T-Chan recognized when Leon lost consciousness, his body balanced just before, so that he remained sitting up, although somewhat hunched. He watched, rather fascinated, noting Leon's change to the irregular breathing of the sleeping. The human's eyelids flinched a few times, and the slight iris mounds beneath them began darting around frantically as if trying to find a way out. The Count's grandson's hands moved to undo the button just under the detective's chin, impeded slightly by long nails. The totetsu was about to warn his guardian that maybe what he was doing wasn't a good idea, and suggest waking Leon long enough to get him redressed for bed.

Just when D gave Leon's shirt a slight tug so that he could slip a finger to the inside of the collar and work the button loose, Leon's head came up with wild, unrecognizing eyes that saw arms leading to his throat. Almost simultaneously Leon woke, but only enough to register someone in front of him, and grab the unidentified hands away from his throat. In the next second or two, Leon realized who it was, and let go as if he'd been burned. The human's hands reached behind him automatically to catch his own weight as he leaned away from D while looking up at him in momentary...terror. Leon was soon bringing one of his hands back around to cover his face in shame. "Sorry, D-" There was an edge of misery in Leon's voice.

"No, Leon, you have no need to apologize," D reassured with a gentle hand on Leon's shoulder. "I should have made sure you were aware of what I was doing. I could tell you were falling asleep." His hand squeezed slightly before withdrawing. "I'll go and get some sleeping clothes for you to change into."

"You don't have t'do that, D." Leon started to stand. "I got a pair of sweatpants and a shirt in my car for when I have t'spend the night at the station."

"AWWWW-noyadon't—" T-Chan was sitting in Leon's lap in one swift second.

"HEH-hey!" Leon dropped back down on the bed with T-Chan's weight causing him to lose his balance, and reflexively closed his arms around the lapful of animal. He let out breathy laughter, but began fighting once again to keep his eyelids open.

"I'll be able to bring you some pajamas in less time than it will take you to go out to your car-- and me to come bring you back inside, Leon. It's no trouble." D gave Leon one of those soothing, secretive smiles of his before leaving the room.

* * *

**A/N: I'm going to be "collapsing" the previous parts of 'Phantom and Angel soon, as it is actually one chapter posted in parts as 'Sandman's Playground' was.**

* * *


	11. Phantom and Angel part 9

* * *

Phantom and Angel - part 9

* * *

"Leon?" D's voice roused the dozing human. Leon's eyelids struggled to open, and his head turned lethargically in the direction of the voice. D was standing just inside the doorway, with what looked like a small, square, black...square. As D was once again standing in front of him, Leon's vision cleared enough to make out that a folded set of black silk pajamas were what the black square was made of.

"Thanks." Leon reached his hands over T-Chan's back uncertainly toward the black silk bundle, and D somehow transferred them into his hands without touching him. T-Chan backed off of Leon's lap to the side of his leg and studied the detective's face…which allowed Leon to rest his silk-filled hands in his lap.

Once again, D's fingers were at the front of Leon's shirt, managing the buttons with purposeful tugs now that he didn't need to worry about waking Leon.

The detective glanced down briefly with glazed eyes, but just didn't have anything left to put up any kind of protest. He simply sat still while trying to stay awake, losing the battle to keep his eyes open.

Unable to resist, D tsked softly. "Of all the days to chose something besides your usual t-shirts…" His complaint didn't hide the teasing in his voice.

Even as tired as he was, Leon was still able to manage a slight scowl. "There's nothing 'usual' about my t-shirts." His feigned indignant tone was hardly effective with the note of boyish whine, or with the lashes of his closed eyes and faint pout making his face seem just a little closer to androgynous.

"Of course not…whatever was I thinking…" D's pleasant croon almost made Leon smile, probably would have, if Leon wasn't succumbing again to exhaustion, although D still caught the slight flexing at the sides of the dear detective's mouth.

Now that his eyes were closed, D's movements were sensed, brokenly, causing Leon to feel mildly disoriented as his mind automatically kept tally of the surrounding elements. The faint coat of sweat on his arms and face had gone completely unnoticed, until it made him aware of the soft waft of air from the open bedroom door. _Open door!_ It was almost reminiscent of a B vampire movie when Leon's adrenaline kicked in again. His leg muscles tensed and pulled him to standing upright, his forearm found and pressed against D's chest to push him back. "I don't remember you locking the front door when we came back in." His voice was low and airy. He started towards the bedroom doorway more like he was in a trance than purposefully alert.

D caught the man's arm gently. "I was gone for longer than it may have seemed when I left to get you the night clothing." He'd successfully stopped Leon soon enough that he was able to keep a hold of him and take the opportunity to turn down the bedclothes. He'd been wondering how he would go about doing that, oddly enough.

Leon turned his head to face him, taking a longer than usual moment to process what D had just said. He nodded his understanding mutely, and remained standing where he was.

Closing the distance between him, D finished unbuttoning Leon's shirt. "My dear detective…whatever am I to do with you?"

Leon raised an eyebrow innocently. "Feed me lots of scrambled eggs?" The suggestion was cloaked in subtle taunting.

D was visibly bemused, knowing that there was an insinuated meaning… then his eyes narrowed with playful menace. "Are you certain that you want your eggs scrambled?" D asked coyly.

Leon's eyes went wide with consternation. "You snipe at my 'obscene language', and then go and say something so—lewd?

D's face fell, his lashes fanning downward just as he was parting his lips to speak.

With an entirely new boldness, Leon moved in even closer to D, placing a fingertip almost directly onto the other man's lips to silence him. "Me thinks 'tis not so much the name of those which come calling, rather their visits numbered and fineness of garb that does, perhaps, more heavily weigh." The strange choice of words was whispered almost seductively.

Caught off guard, D stilled completely, eyes examining Leon as if he hadn't' seen the man in years, then, he reached to carefully brush away the finger from his lips and, ever so gently, take the man by the chin. "Who are you—and what have you done with MY dear detective?"

* * *


	12. Phantom and Angel part 10

Phantom and Angel

PART 10

Caught off guard, D stilled completely, eyes examining Leon as if he hadn't' seen the man in years, then, he reached to carefully brush away the finger from his lips and, ever so gently, take the man by the chin. "Who are you—and what have you done with MY dear detective?"

At the end of D's sentence, Leon felt the nail of D's pinky lightly tracing a line downward from the back corner of his jaw to his neck, which normally wouldn't have had that much of an effect on him. In this case, it caused his heart to speed up slightly and his breathing stop for a few moments, without his realizing it. His weakened state made it enough to push him to his limit.

As D admiringly searched Leon's eyes, he saw the smoldering blue suddenly cloud and drift aimlessly to one side just as the lids began fluttering. The color of Leon's face paled alarmingly. In one graceful motion, D had one of Leon's arms around his shoulder and hooked his free hand around the detective's waist to guide him back to the bed as all of the muscles in the man's body began to go completely limp.

With Leon passed out, T-Chan moved behind the human after D got him in a sitting position on the bed. He slipped his hands under Leon's arms and pulled him to where his head was resting on the pillows as it should be. He helped D get Leon out of his street clothes and into the black silk 'pajamas' as if they were racing against whatever time it might take for Leon to regain consciousness again. D was artfully putting the black sleeveless top on Leon while he was dealing with shoes and socks so that the jeans could be dealt with. "Huh. He's got better foot hygiene than I realized before."

D sighed in dismay as he glanced up at Leon's face. "Yet…he neglects caring for the rest of his body—in more harmful ways."

"Uuuuuuh—I wouldn't be too sure this is from self-neglect." T-Chan's brow knit at his own comment before he slipped from the bed and set the shoes, toes up, against the side of a small dresser with the opening angled down towards the floor.

D turned his head to stare at the totetsu. "What do you mean?"

T-Chan shrugged, a little more careful to keep his expression neutral. "It seems more like he's having a hard time _staying_ asleep long enough than not _wanting_ to sleep."

The words settled in D's mind, and he turned his attention back to the face of the sleeping detective. It almost seemed as if he might ask in scolding: _why didn't you tell me?_ "Why would the case he's trying to solve now bother him so much more that it would keep him from sleeping properly?"

"Maybe he thinks it could end up being more personal than some of the others." T-Chan had a momentary feeling of irony as he faced undoing Leon's jeans. Not hesitating long enough to make it obvious, he undid the metal button at the fly and brought the zipper down like an expert.

D moved to slip his fingers under the waistband of Leon's jeans at the hips and got a hold of the boxers underneath. "Why would it become _personal_?"

T-Chan glanced up at D, not sure if he really couldn't guess, or if maybe he wanted his own unspoken suspicions confirmed. "Well, let's see…Norma….Alexander…oh, and don't forget—Wong…" He started tugging alternately on the outside of the jeans from Leon's mid-thigh with a sinister grin. A glance up at D's face told him that his theory was more than a little hard to accept. "I never told you about the things Leon was saying after we left the shop." His face was more serious.

"Things?" D asked simply as he pushed the denim down Leon's hips while still holding onto the undershorts.

T-Chan nodded just as he finished slipping the jeans off over Leon's feet.

The two looked down to momentarily stare at what was printed on Leon's boxers.

T-Chan broke the silence. "It was mostly muttering that he probably thought wouldn't be heard, and more than half of it was complaints about you having some kind of death wish."

"A _DEATH_ wish!?" D stood up ramrod straight, hands on his hips and flung the ends of his hair from his head when he suddenly turned to look at Leon's face as if he insisted on an explanation from the detective even if he was unconscious. "Why, that's nothing short of completely absurd! Whatever gives him a reason to accuse me of having a death wish?"

T-Chan reached up to retrieve the silk night bottoms, and start working them onto Leon's legs. "Oh, just a few, silly little things he listed, like…letting nearly anybody into the very place where you live and sleep, not owning a gun, using self defense for a city-destroying dragon but not for yourself, not having any sort of security system or at least training the monkey to dial 911…"

D gave him a scathing look and started to help get the lower half of the pajamas onto Leon. "I believe I'm starting to get the idea."

T-Chan released a snort of mock contempt before getting a little revenge for earlier. "Definitely contaminated…"

* * *

A/N: Since I collapsed the first 7 parts of this chapter "Phantom and Angel", some people may not be able to post reviews to the most recently posted part because the site recorded them as already having posted to the chapter it's listed on (which changed because of the collapsing of earlier posts).

I'm dying of curiosity about what people reading this story think about the elements I've written in this story. The last three posts got nearly 100 hits the first day I posted them.

I'd love to know what you like most about this story.

I'd love to know if there is anything that you don't like or don't get.

I'd love to know if there's anything in particular you've seen in the story already that you'd like to see more of.


	13. Phantom and Angel PART 11

Phantom and Angel

PART 11

* * *

"A _DEATH_ wish!?" D stood up ramrod straight, hands on his hips and flung the ends of his hair from his head when he suddenly turned to look at Leon's face as if he insisted on an explanation from the detective even if he was unconscious. "Why, that's nothing short of _completely _absurd! Whatever gives him a reason to accuse _me _of having a death wish?"

T-Chan reached up to retrieve the silk night bottoms, and start working them onto Leon's legs. "Oh, just a few, silly little things he listed, like…letting nearly anybody into the very place where you live and sleep, not owning a gun, using self defense for a city-destroying dragon but not for yourself, not having any sort of security system or at least training the monkey to dial 911…"

D gave him a scathing look and started to help get the lower half of the pajamas onto Leon. "I believe I'm starting to get the idea."

T-Chan released a snort of mock contempt before getting a little revenge for earlier. "Definitely contaminated…"

D, seeming to have a smirk for all occasions, awarded T-Chan one of amused respect. "Well, I have had a considerably longer period of exposure."

T-Chan almost sneered, but there was a strange twinge in D's voice, and he remembered the marred skin of Leon's torso before D had covered it in black silk. It led him to wonder if the odd note in the usually unshakable voice was related. "You almost didn't, though."

D seemed to give T-Chan his full, undivided attention at that moment.

T-Chan's eyes traveled up to the sleeping detective's face and then drifted down where black silk covered small craters of dark pink. "He doesn't move like someone who's been injured so recently the way he was." His eyes met D's again. "The stories the others told me almost didn't register as fully real—until now." There almost seemed to be a timber of respect in the youngster's words.

The words themselves seemed to touch something within D that he'd been unsettled by more and more frequently now. "Karma, perhaps…" he suggested with a hint of irony. He gracefully slipped past T-chan to pull the covers up over Leon. The next moment, he found himself frozen with his mouth slightly gaping when T-Chan literally dove over Leon to the other side of him and sheathed himself under the bedding.

"Somebody needs t'keep an eye on this bonehead—in case he wakes up and decides t'try and go snooping around the place, " T-Chan announced with head propped on one fist.

D immediately regained his composure and raised one brow. "Hmmm. I suppose you have a point, T-Chan."


	14. Phantom and Angel PART 12

* * *

CHAPTER 9 – PART 12

* * *

"Somebody needs t'keep an eye on this bonehead—in case he wakes up and tries t'go snooping around the place," T-Chan announced with head propped on one fist.

D immediately regained his composure and raised one brow. "Hmmm. I suppose you have a point, T-Chan." He watched T-Chan settle down to sleep for the night with a look of contemplation, then started some incense in the room that would help Leon feel well rested when he had to get up. Deciding to use the remaining hours to get as much sleep as he could, he left the dishes in the guest room to be done right before opening the store. He left the door open so that the room wouldn't be as dark for Leon after he turned out the light, or so he told himself.

* * *

Once Count D's grandson had left the guest bedroom, T-Chan squirmed over to rest the side of his face on Leon's nearest bicep.

Leon's brow flexed as if he were trying to identify the new sensation, then relaxed again. He let out a sigh that sounded like contentment.

* * *

No, until now, D had never heard of anything Leon had said in Wong's presence after he was captured. He'd remembered T-Chan often muttering wrathfully for a few days about Leon making a lucky guess about him. He'd assumed that the totetsu's anger at the detective was because he was no longer able to move among the humans and select his preferred prey.

Odd, now that he thought about it, that he had missed the absence of muttering about any verbal gloating Leon would expectedly have done about discovering Wong's covert activities. That was something he should have expected to hear when T-Chan had returned. One would think a person such as Leon would have freely commented a little of Wong's defeat as a criminal. On deeper examination of the memory, it almost seemed as though Leon had avoided mentioning it until asked, and almost reluctant to answer.

Now, he was finding out that Leon's mind had been focused on…something else. Had he been sitting across from him, wondering what would have happened if he hadn't arrived sooner, or at all? Now, he was beginning to think he might need to pay closer attention to what he wasn't hearing Leon say.

Ten-Chan was leaning against the wall, one leg crossed over the other while he waited next to the door of D's bedroom. "This doesn't look like a good picture that's coming together." The kitsune didn't look away from whatever spot in front of him he was focusing on when he spoke.

For as long as Count D's grandson had known Ten-Chan, he'd learned that there was something to be said for anything that could sober the nine-tail so greatly. "This particular criminal does seem to have the detectives more deeply disturbed than usual," he replied pensively.

"I don't think it's so much the criminal as it is the victims." Ten-Chan turned to face him with a disturbingly grave expression.

Veiling the true depth of his worry, he kept his nod restrained and tilted his head to the side slightly to portray more of an aloof pondering expression. "Yes. I can understand that Detective Freshney would be more worried for Detective Orcot because of the similarities—"

"It might be safer for Orcot if he _doesn't _find out about the similarities that Detective Freshney just told you about…before his superiors do, that is." Ten-Chan's tone of voice held a note of forboding that was nearly alien to his character.

"Why would Detective Orcot be safer not knowing—" mismatched eyes widened slightly as realization suddenly seemed to come to D.

* * *


	15. Phantom and Angel PART 13

* * *

CHAPTER 9 – PART 13

* * *

Ten-Chan was leaning against the wall, waiting for D outside of his bedroom door. A contemplative Q-Chan was perched on his right shoulder, waiting with him in silence.

"This doesn't look like a good picture that's coming together." The kitsune didn't look away from whatever spot in front of him he was focusing on when he spoke.

D observed Q-Chan turning to look at Ten-Chan's face with worried interest. "This particular criminal does seem to have the detectives more deeply disturbed than usual," he replied pensively.

"I don't think it's so much the criminal as it is the victims." Ten-Chan turned to face him with an unusually grim expression.

"Yes. I can understand that Detective Freshney would be more worried for Detective Orcot because of the similarities—"

"It might be safer for Orcot if he doesn't find out about the similarities that Detective Freshney just told you about…before his superiors do, that is."

"Why would Detective Orcot be safer not knowing—" Realization suddenly seemed to come to D.

Q-Chan had let out an astonished squeek, and then left Ten-Chan's shoulder to fly off in the direction D had come from.

Ten-Chan and D watched him go off in startled wonder, but didn't call or follow after him.

When the little creature finally disappeared from sight down the corridor, D turned to look at Ten-Chan, who merely shrugged with mild bewilderment.

"Want me to camp out near the main room," Ten-Chan offered casually.

D tilted his head in contemplation, then looked back to where his little friend had headed. "No, but thank you. I believe that won't be necessary…for right now, anyway."

Ten-Chan nodded, obviously satisfied with D's reply. "Sleep well, then," he told D with his customary smirk, before turning and heading to his own room.

"Thank you," D bowed his head appreciatively to the retreating friend, and entered the door to his room.

* * *

_"You know I can't be home much to take care of the two of you. I know your still a young boy, but it would help your mother and me, a lot, if you did your best to act as the 'Man of the House' while I'm gone…"_

Not long after T-Chan and Leon had both fallen into a peaceful sleep, Leon's brow wrinkled, giving his boyish appearance an expression of struggling thought. Just as quickly as the thoughtful frown had appeared, a soft smile replaced, it. "…I will--," the sleeping detective repeated the childhood promise made to his father when he was still alive.

Q-Chan had found his way into the room where Count D's grandson had deposited the exhausted detective. He'd been watching for only a few seconds after his arrival when Leon began murmuring in his sleep. The little creature's tiny face tipped to one side, slightly, obviously curious about what was happening in the human's dream. His head turned towards the door at the sound of tiny claws on the flooring.

"T-Chan?" Pon-Chan's half-whisper broke the settling silence just inside of the doorway.

T-Chan let out a small grunt as his brain registered the voice and his name being spoken.

"What?" T-Chan's reply was a groggy croak after he forced himself to raise his head from the comfortable spot it had found.

Pon-Chan seemed relieved and dismayed at the same time. "Are you sleeping in here tonight?"

"You mean this morning," T-Chan corrected smugly. "That was kind of the idea," he told the tanooki reluctantly.

"Oh," Pon-Chan responded with obvious disappointment.

Q-Chan's head was swiveling rapidly, alternately looking towards each of the two housemates as they conversed, until his ears picked up the sound of Leon's soft grunt.

Leon's eyes opened, and he turned his head in Pon-Chan's direction. "mmm…whatcha doin' outta bed, baby?"

Pon-Chan let out an indignant squeak, before declaring shrilly, "I'm not a baby!"

Leon let his eyes slid closed again and chuckled, "Relax, beautiful, that's just what city guys like me call the special girls in their lives." His face sobered. "I won't call you that if it makes you unhappy," he promised a little sadly.

Pon-Chan only took a second to make up her mind about the idea. "Oh. Well, it's okay if you call me that, if that's what it means," she told him carefully.

Leon's smile returned…with a vengeance. "Sounds good t'me, baby." He opened his eyes again and looked at her with sleepy appreciation. A smirk twitched a corner of his mouth upward. "Did the big, ugly cop steal your teddy-goat," he teased.

T-Chan snorted a short laugh onto Leon's bicep, not actually minding the reference.

"You're not ugly," Pon-Chan insisted earnestly.

"Oo!" Leon grinned with mild delight. "That means a lot, coming from you." He chuckled again, and scooted to the side of the bed, lowering his hand as close to the floor as he could. "Wanna sleep up here with us stinky guys," he asked softly.

"Yes, please," Pon-Chan didn't hesitate with her honest desire, and draped herself over Leon's hand.

"Up y'go, then." Leon lifted her easily over the side of the bed and deposited her in the space between himself and T-Chan. "There y'go," he told her pleasantly.

T-Chan rearranged his position to offer himself as the familiar living-pillow that he'd become for Pon-Chan since his arrival. "Comfy," he asked, after she finished squirming into place.

"Mmm-hmm," Pon-Chan told him contentedly. Her eyes shone brightly at the both of them before they closed.

"'night…baby," T-Chan told her with a wicked smirk.

Pon-Chan's brow quirked slightly, although her eyes remained closed, and then she grinned tiredly. "Mmmm-hmmm." Her little voice trailed off as she fell right to sleep.

A soft snort came out through Leon's nostrils. His eyes were closed again. "…knew I'd figure out something that the 'T' might stand for."

T-Chan's eyes slid over in studious gaze at Leon's face. "Dude-- do you want to be on a diet of milk-toast the rest of your life?"

One of Leon's eyebrows flicked upward. "You dis'n my mother's best cold-remedy?" His voice drawled playfully in T-Chan's ears.

T-Chan's smirk reached his voice. "Far from it. Any woman that could get a guy like you to defend milk-toast has my utmost respect."

Leon smiled fondly. "Yeah. My mother was a great cook. She could make nearly anything so that I'd like it."

A thoughtful look came over T-Chan's face. "How come you don't know how to cook? Is it something too 'girly' to you?"

"Nah," Leon answered casually. "Dad said I'd be helpin' him and mom if I did my best to be the other "man of the house", so I spent most of my time hangin out with the older guys in the neighborhood, when dad was at work, t'try'n learn how to."

T-Chan's mind filled with an image of a woman giving a much younger, and willingly accepting Leon, a bowl of milk-toast. "Damn, I'd certainly like to—" T-Chan's statement broke off when his mind finally registered something, "Did you say, 'was'?"

There was a short silence. "When I was eighteen…" Leon finally admitted quietly.

Another moment of silence passed before T-Chan spoke again. "I'm sorry, Leon. I had no idea. You're so young to have already lost a parent."

"Parents," Leon corrected solemnly.

T-Chan was beginning to feel as though he'd really opened up can of worms, but was too curious to end the discussion. "Your father, too?"

"…and brother…" Leon's voice sounded almost meek…

"You had a _brother_ that died?" T-Chan found himself strangely fascinated with the new revelation of the human.

Q-Chan let out a soft, horrified squeak as well.

"…yeah…somethin' like that…" Leon murmured sullenly.

T-Chan was now spiraling into a whirlpool of unexpected sympathy. "Whadduh y'mean?"

This time, it took Leon much longer to answer, and his voice sounded constricted in his throat. "I'll tell y'later, okay?"

"Um, yeah, okay," T-Chan whispered with un-worded apology.

There was final silence, and human and totetsu eventually fell asleep again.

Q-Chan remained watching the young human, totetsu, and tanooki with sad fascination for a while, then hopped silently to a vacant spot of pillow next to Leon's head, nestled against soft, golden hair, and joined the three in slumber.

* * *


	16. Phantom and Angel PART 14

* * *

CHAPTER 9 – PART 14

* * *

Leon heard a moan of distress nearby and drew a deep breath to ready himself for sudden action. His body felt leaden, and he couldn't see anything in front of him. After a moment, he was able to think clearly enough to try moving his eyelids. He froze in mid-breath at the sight of a silhouette sitting on the edge of the bed beside him.

It was a relief that the light in the bedroom was turned off, for Leon felt his face flush with heat when he recognized the familiar outline of his host. "Maybe I should just go back to my own place." Leon offered quietly after letting out a disheartened sigh. "No sense in us both losing more sleep tonight."

Shadows seemed to assist the form of a smirk on the familiar mouth hovering above Leon. "Nonsense." Was the reasuring voice in Leon's ears. The detective felt a light tingling travel down his arms in response to the soothing voice.

The sound and the reply sent relief throughout Leon's tired body. Not having the strength to put up an argument, Leon let his eyes close again. "Y'should at least close the door, so I don't keep waking you up."

For a moment there was no reply, but Leon could have sworn that he heard his host's hair brush a silk-covered shoulder from the tipping of his head. It was a suprise when he felt a hand rest carefully on his chest, but he felt himself relaxing even more.

"What were you dreaming, Detective?" There was intense curiosity in the voice that he was use to...and yet, something in it was slightly off to Leon's ears.

"...didn't know I was dreamin'." Leon made a point to sound as though he was already drifting off to sleep again. It wasn't exactly a lie. He had thought what he'd been seeing and hearing was completely real.

"Right before you awakened..." The reply almost sounded as if Leon should remember more clearly with the moment pointed out.

Again, Leon had a nagging feeling that there was something different about the voice he was hearing. Maybe it was just because he was nearly forcing himself to stay awake now. He glanced over where he felt T-Chan still parked against his arm. The teddy-goat was looking up at him as if this was a perfectly normal situation. Pon-chan was curled up against T-Chan's side between them, still asleep. Glancing over to the opposite side of him, the space where Q-Chan had been before he'd gone to sleep was empty, and he guessed that the little bunny-bat had gone to D's room for the rest of the night.

Leon substitued a brief twitch of his shoulders for a shrug. "...too quiet in here for me, I guess." He was too tired to assess his thought before speaking it out loud, and felt like he'd just given something vital away.

The shadowy smirk seemed to soften to a rather kind smile. "I was wondering if, perhaps, that might be part of the problem." There was no smugness in the statement. If anything, Leon felt as though he could sense an understanding in it that he wasn't use to.

With almost no sound, the familiar form rose and walked out of the room.

A new sound brought Leon out of dozing after his host had dissappeared out the corridor. A light trilling came into the room along with the return of D's familiar outline.

Leon's eyes followed the shadow as it placed a cage on top of the dresser near the bed.

The sound of tiny frogs singing softly in the darkness from where the cage sat soon lulled Leon into closing his eyes again and drifting back to sleep.

T-Chan returned his head to it's resting place on Leon's upper arm and closed his eyes as well.

Q-Chan was once again nestled against the side of Leon's head, and the detective was once again the only human form in the room.

* * *


	17. Phantom and Angel PART 15

* * *

CHAPTER 9 – PART 15

* * *

The voice in Leon's ear sounded like D had been sucking helium.

"Why would y'want me helpin y'make rice? I don't even know the first thing about how t'make rice!" Leon's own indignant bellow brought him fully awake. A soft waft of cool air on his upper arm drew his freshly opened eyes to T-Chan's direction, just in time to see the teddy-goat finish a ginormous yawn. The sight triggered the detective into doing the same, only to find T-Chan looking at him a tad smuggly. "Knock that off right now--those things are contageous," Leon grumbled playfully.

T-Chan responded by leaning his face down to Leon's arm again--and dragged a long, rough tounge over his skin.

"Hey-hee--" Leon laughed out an exclaimation.

T-Chan licked another long trail up Leon's arm casually.

"Are you trying to tell me I need a shower?"

The teddy-goat answered with another long lick up his arm...and then swiped the top of his head against the spot he'd been licking.

"Oh-great. Now you're using me t'wash your hair!" Leon drawled in overly dramatized annoyance.

There was a sound like a dog's squeeky-toy traveling solo down a long flight of stairs on the other side of Leon's head. He turned to find that the sorce was close enough to what it had sounded like. Q-Chan was leaning agains the mammoth pillow under Leon's head with one hand, and holding his fuzzy little belly with the other as he succumed to a laughing fit.

"You're gonna laugh you're little wings right off--and then I'm gonna call you Schmoo-Chan,"  
the detective announced wryly.

The squeeky toy came to the bottom of the stairs abruptly.

T-Chan planted his tiny fists at his rounded little sides and glared up at a smirking Leon.

"That's not nearly as bad of a fate as trying to get me t'help y'cook rice," Leon warned with a taunting sneer.

The offended little creature quickly transformed into a fluffy little ball of enthusiastic sympathy. It reached a little paw to the top of Leon's other shoulder and patted it with reasuring little...beeping noises.

Leon was somehow reminded of a kindly cowbow offering encouragement to a new hand. He raised a skeptical brow, risisting the urge to bust a gut of the thought of Q-Chan sporting a mini cowboy hat and chaps. "All right, hot shot. But if this little experiment blows up in your face, I claim full rights t'say 'I told y'so'".

Q-Chan graced Leon with a slow blink of utter confidence, then launched himself up above the bed, "Kyu! Kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu."

Leon sat up and lowered his feet down, before twisting around and scooping a stretching Pon-Chan up in his arms. "Oohoo! Now that looks like a good idea!" He said, draping the tanooki over one shoulder and executing a rather impressive stretch himself. Letting out a satisfied sigh, he stood, craddling his arm under Pon-Chan's hind legs. "Head'em up-n-move'em out!" He followed Q-Chan with the teddy-goat on his heals (almost literally).

* * *

Schmoo: an antiquated newspaper comic creature first appearing in the L'il Abner strip in the early 1970s. The creature later had it's own Saturday morning cartoon slot of American television. Images of the Schmoo can be found in Wikipedia.

* * *


	18. Phantom and Angel PART 16

* * *

CHAPTER 9

PHANTOM AND ANGEL

PART 16

* * *

There were all sorts of little mental checks and notes shuffling around in Leon's mind as he started from the bed to the corridor outside. It had been cozy between the quality cotton sheets and beneath the thick comforter (although he'd probably never admit that out loud if there was any way to avoid it). Now that he was out of bed, he found the air on his exposed skin to be at just the right temperature, not the slightly chill feeling he usually had after just getting up. Maybe it was because of what he was wearing, which wasn't either his usual boxers or sweatpants and t-shirt.

If D were here right now, the detective might have worked up the energy enough to rant at him about dressing him, or more to the point, about _un_-dressing. If that guy strained something getting Leon out of his clothes and putting him in these flimsy things, well, maybe it served him right.

He almost decided to turn around and change back into the clothes that he'd come there in, but the idea of changing with…an audience (four-legged species notwithstanding) didn't appeal to him.

On the way out the bedroom, Leon noticed the cage with the frogs was gone. Well, maybe D had come back to find him sound asleep finally and put the little guys back where he'd brought them from. He almost walked into the doorsill as he was still looking at the spot where he'd seen D put the frogs. Something about a frog that was frequently in the guest parlor when he visited poked at his consciousness. His mental shuffle switched off before he could extend that last thought. He found himself having to focus on keeping up with Q-Chan as he followed him through the somehow overly-long corridor, so that he didn't make a wrong turn.

They all arrived in the kitchen promptly, T-Chan calmly growling something and Pon-Chan squirming to be let down. Leon didn't want to take the chance that Pon-Chan needed to use the forest, so he bent down and placed her on the tiled floor.

T-Chan went over to a cupboard below the counter which he pulled open and nudged the handle of a small, cast-iron kettle so that it stuck out towards Leon. A short, soft growl hinted for Leon to take it out.

That didn't seem like too big of a deal to Leon, so he went along with it. His thoughts were bumping about groggily inside of his skull, and one of them was a note that the kettle reminded him of a shrunken cauldron. He secretly let the corner of his mouth twitch in a brief smirk. Didn't _that _just figure.

As he set the kettle on top of the range, Leon noticed that Pon-Chan had not gone to use the forest, but had scampered up to the top of the counter, opened one of the nearest drawers and pulled out a stainless-steel measuring cup. She opened up a cupboard above the counter and seemed to be fussing at him about a brushed stainless-steel sugar canister on the first shelf.

Leon took a hold of the canister, lifted off the lid and looked down into the top of it. It was full of rice. With a facial shrug, he pulled it carefully off of the shelf and set it on the counter. Pon-Chan was waiting for his attention, holding the measuring cup out for him. He took the measuring cup a bit reluctantly and looked over at Q-Chan. "Um--"

"Kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu," Q-Chan told him confidently. He was perched now on the counter a little ways to the left of the edge of the oven. His little paws were clasped together as he gave Leon instructions with an intellectual air. All that was missing was a pair of rectangular-lense bifocal glasses and a professor's cap.

Unfortunately, the sight of Q-Chan standing there the way he was and giving him instructions, reminded Leon of a school-setting in a Nintendo Pokemon game. He grinned lopsidedly, and forced himself not to start laughing. "Four?" He concentrated his attention on how much rice he was suppose to scoop out, which he didn't think would make very much.

Q-Chan nodded sagely.

Once again, Leon found himself fighting the urge to laugh, and refusing to admit to himself that the little creature was becoming cuter and cuter to him. "All right," he said with overly exaggerated skepticism. "At least _one_ of us knows what I'm doin."

Now T-Chan was on the counter as well, and turning on the tap water. When it was half-way between off and fully-open, he moved to the other side of the counter to give Leon room.

Leon frowned, feeling like this was what would make or break him, in the world of rice making. "How much water am I suppose to put in?"

Q-Chan answered with a quickness that made it seem as if he'd already guessed Leon's very question."Kyu-kyu-kyu…kyu-kyu-kyu."

Leon moved over to stand in front of the sink, and stuck the measuring cup under the faucet and let it fill all the way to the top. He grabbed the little kettle by the handle and moved it to the edge of the sink. After he'd dumped six full cups in, he turned off the water and looked at Q-Chan. "Put it on the stove now?"

Q-Chan seemed to get excited that Leon had guessed, apparently correctly.

"I'm gonna start calling you Schmoo-Chan even if you _don't_ laugh your wings off," he threatened playfully.

Q-Chan finally decided to leer at Leon wickedly and then made an almost right-on-the-nose vocal imitation of the cartoon creature mentioned when it made a sound that seemed like, "Ooooh. You think so, do you?"

Leon didn't know whether to laugh or shiver convulsively. He opted for raising an eyebrow and turning the burner on."You worry me sometimes," he told Q-Chan with a strangely appreciative sneer.

There was a soft pop of electricity and a hissing as streams of gas ignited over the burner ring.

Q-Chan looked away from the beautiful flame, and gazed up at Leon with feigned innocently wide-eyed amusement. "Kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu--?

"Only sometimes," Leon confirmed. "When I catch you acting more like me, it'll be a permanent thing."

* * *


	19. Phantom and Angel PART 17

* * *

CHAPTER 9

PHANTOM AND ANGEL

PART 17

* * *

T-Chan was starting to feel a little bit ignored. "Wan'ta find out what kind of disaster he can cause trying t'make tea?"

Leon turned his head to see what the teddy-goat was growling behind him about. He saw that weird, smugness in the creature's amber eyes and detected some sort of playful put-down.

"Kyu. Kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu." Q-Chan was air-born again, and landed on a counter top of an ornate black-stained china shelf. On the counter top were several metal canisters of different sizes and decoration. Q-Chan seemed to ponder the different canisters with a tiny paw pressed to his chin.

Again, Leon was forcing himself not to laugh, and faintly wondered if he was developing some inexplicable kind of respect for the little fluff-ball. "I suppose he doesn't have anything that has the same 'kick' as coffee?"

Q-Chan turned his head to look at Leon with another moment of deep contemplation, then turned back to the tea canisters. He seemed to give one of the canisters a big hug, and started to walk backwards, pulling the mini-monolith in lurching increments.

The detective made a sour face and lumbered over to the fluffy freight hauler. "Now I think I know what the Q in your name stands for…'_QUIT_--trying t'hurt yourself, silly!'" He took a hold of the canister that Puffula was trying to drag out. "I got it, dude." He lifted it up to look at it when he saw that there were a few words in English on it. "…Yerba Mate… Ah—yeah, I think I heard about this stuff. It's like the Red Bull of Brazil…or…someplace where they think soccer is football."

There was now an expression frozen on Q-Chan's face during a lengthy gaze up at Leon as if he wasn't sure what that particular statement told him about the…_detective_. He finally came to the conclusion that it was time to show Leon which teapot he should use. Perhaps Leon actually _did_ need a 'healthy' dose of caffeine. He waddled over to a deep blue and gold porcelain teapot and patted it while looking up at Leon expectantly.

T-Chan nearly jumped up when he realized that the bonehead probably didn't know that the teapot needed to be warmed before the boiled water was put in it. He moved back to the tap and turned on the hot water. "Over here, Sherlock," he called to Leon.

"Kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu," Q-Chan pointed the teapot with little thrusts of his paw.

Leon remembered, from more than one personal experience, that pouring freshly boiled water into a cold glass container sometimes resulted in having to do a majorly pain-staking clean-up job. He decided that it was too early in the morning for him to have to do that, and went over to the sink with the teapot. The top didn't come right off like he was expecting it to. It had a couple of little knobs at either side that had to be lined up with indents that they fit through. That kind of made sense; so that the lid didn't accidently fall off while someone was trying to pour the tea into cups.

"The teapot needs warmed up first," Leon stated his guess. "Where in the world did D find a Leon-proof teapot?" He chuckled at his own joke, but noticed that T-Chan's eyes seemed to be alight with mirth. He winked at the teddy-goat and stuck the opening of the teapot under the stream of water.

T-Chan felt his hair try to stand on end when Leon winked at him. Before he realized what his body was about to do in order to stop himself, he shivered.

Contrary to popular belief, Leon did know a thing or two about animals. He'd caught the shiver out of the corner of his eye and noticed that T-Chan looked poofier to him than he had in the short time between him winking at the teddy-goat and finishing filling the teapot with warm water. "Are you cold, T-dude?" Leon asked T-Chan with a tinge of genuine concern in his voice. He placed his palm on the counter surface right in front of where T-Chan was sitting. "Hm. Little cold, I guess." After the teapot seemed filled enough, he set it on the counter next to the stove and turned the hot water off.

Before T-Chan knew what was coming, Leon had him against his chest with his left arm wrapped around him. "I'm borrowing your teddy-goat, Pon-Chan," he announced pleasantly. He'd already started working small circles with his fingertips into the muscles on either side of T-Chan's spine.

"Okay," Pon-Chan let out a perky chirped answer. "He's nicer after you borrow him, anyway."

If Leon hadn't been acting as a tranquilizer, there would be teeth bared, there would be chasing and fleeing, there would be snarling and screams, there would be detective tar-tar for breakfast. "I really should… eat you… as soon as you've… mmmph… stopped… nnnnnnngh… having any kind of… hmmmm… use… ful… ness," T-Chan murmured casually.

Leon stopped trying to re-liquify the teddy-goat long enough to dump and refill the tea-kettle and start it heating. "Sounds like you need tea with a real kick almost as much as I do, T," he chuckled. He was getting comfortable with using the tea kettle, but he hurried so that he could go back to improving T-Chan's circulation.

"Teddy-goat?" Ten-Chan's amused voice came from the doorway. A pleased gleam shone in his eyes when he saw T-Chan once again at the mercy of his one true advisory. "I'm getting the distinct feeling that I should have snuck into Orcot's room last night."

T-Chan's eyes were peacefully shut, and the totetsu had to decide whether or not he should even dignify his housemate with any kind of response. "You mean, this morning… and I definitely _should_ eat you," he mumbled sluggishly.

Ten-Chan's reaction to the threat was a loud, dramatic sigh. "Promises-promises… Frankly, I don't think you're even in any condition to aim your mouth in my direction and open it," the Kitsune drawled pleasantly. He grinned knowingly and swished his tails in self-satisfaction.

T-Chan managed to pry his eyelids open long enough to glance over at Ten-Chan slyly, "No complaints here…" Leon's fingertips were digging into his welcoming muscles and pleasant tingles were dancing through every particle of his body.

Leon's body suddenly went tense beneath T-Chan's and he swung around towards the stove. "Aw, crap! Q! The rice is start'n t'boil." His voice was suddenly tight with anxiety.

"Kyu… kyu… kyu…" each syllable was made in a lower pitch than the one before it.

"Just turn it down?" Leon asked uncertainly. He settled slightly when he realized that he'd noticed the water in the pot starting to boil before it had a chance to rise to the top and start spilling over.

Q-Chan nodded calmly.

"Okay, well then I need ya 't'let me know when to stop," Leon told his instructor.

Ten-Chan sat on the floor a few feet away from the oven, and wrapped his arms around his knees. His gossamer hair spilled over one shoulder and across his chest when he tilted his head to one side. "Are we training Orcot in the fine art of making tea?" His exotic eyes appraised the scene gleefully.

"And rice!" Pon-Chan announced excitedly. She beamed at the odd little group proudly, as though it was her own personal orchestration.

Ten-Chan proved his rights to every last one of his tails. There would be hell to pay should any of them dash the little one's happiness. The kitsune graced little Pon-Chan with an approving smile and encouraging wink.

Leon had turned so that he was holding T-Chan away from the stove, and reached his long arm to turn the burner control from High to Low.

"Kyu." Q-Chan told Leon confidently.

"There?" Leon had taken his hand away when the setting was neatly on Lo.

Q-Chan nodded.

"How are we going to be able to tell the difference between the rice and the totetsu after Orcot's done with'im?" Ten-Chan went to the cupboard next to the one that the rice cooking pot had come out of and pulled out the lid for it. He held it out for Leon, "Here," he told him.

"The rice won't eat back," T-Chan was able to threaten once Leon's free hand was busy turning the heat down on the stove.

Leon heard Ten-Chan growling and then bark with something in his mouth. He looked down and saw the kitsune holding the pot's lid in his teeth by the knob. He bent down and took it from him, "Thanks, dude. I forgot about that."

"Are you sure about that?" Ten-Chan asked T-Chan coyly, "This is Orcot we're letting prepare food, so we may not know exactly _what_ we're in for," he reminded matter-of-factly. "Not to mention the fact that your condition seems to be quickly deteriorating."

Just when T-Chan thought he was going to come down with a sudden case motion-sickness, Leon set the lid over the pot and went back to working on his back. "Mmmm—no complaints here…"

* * *


	20. Phantom and Angel PART 18

* * *

CHAPTER 9

PHANTOM AND ANGEL

PART 18

* * *

Only a moment went by, and Leon was feeling all eyes, except the teddy-goat's, in the kitchen on him…and the teddy-goat in his arms. Pretending that he hadn't noticed, Leon strolled back over to the tea cabinet. He had to stop work on T-Chan's back to open the doors on the lower part of the cabinet. While still holding the teddy-goat, he pulled out a black lacquered tray and set it on the countertop, then placed two of the teacups on it that matched the warming teapot. He managed to pull the tray off of the countertop and slide his hand under it, then carry it over to the teapot with T-Chan still held in the other arm.

The sound of a drawer full of metal utensils being opened and searched drew Leon's attention to where Pon-Chan was leaning over the counter. He made it over to her just as she pulled out a small, long-handled measuring—scoop-like thingy for the tea. The detective took it from her with an unsure word of thanks and then looked over at the tea cabinet…where he'd left the tea.

"Kyu-kyu."

"Two?"

Q-Chan made his face seem to fatten cutely as he nodded affirmation.

_I will not laugh…I will not laugh…I will put two scoops of tea in the tea pot and NOT freakin laugh._ When he lifted the lid to the teapot off, he saw the water still inside of it. He had to put the scoop down to pick up the teapot by the handle and pour the warm water out of it. His hand was back on T-Chan's spine for the short walk back to the tea cabinet to get the canister of Yerba Mate blend. Since T-Chan seemed to be held just fine with his arm from the wrist up, Leon put the canister in the same hand that was wrapped around the teddy-goat so that he could use the other hand to work T-Chan's back on the return trip to the teapot._ "Uno—dos…" _

T-Chan had his eyes just partially open, and felt the arm around him stiffen, as the fingers on his back left and returned. He heard the very familiar sound of a tea tin being set on the counter when they'd stopped moving, and the slight ring of the tea scoop as it brushed against the counter when it was being picked up. The arm around him flexed slightly again when Leon had to use both hands to open the tea.

The totetsu's ears caught the faint musical sound of the stainless steel scoop being driven into the dry tea plant pieces, and the burst of fragrance from it filled his nose. A hidden smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth when he remembered the one time that he'd served this particular tea blend to Count D's grandson, and the pet shop keeper had become a singular flurry of constant movement and talking for a good couple of hours. An additional tingle went up his spine when Leon's voice counted out in Spanish…with a definite American accent, and then his hair tried to stand on end when the teakettle started to whistle.

"Very nice timing," Leon commented pleasantly. Humming to himself a little, he set the scoop back down on the counter and reached for the noisy kettle. He felt himself relaxing; the idea of successfully making a pot of tea somehow soothed his restless mind.

Pon-Chan's eyes widened in alarm, and her stripes were nearly blurred together when she scurried in front of the teapot and stuck up a hand in warning, "Wait, Leon! You don't pour the water in right after it's boiling!"

Leon halted. Well, so much for successfully making tea. Tension rose up in him again, quickening his heart with an unnecessary adrenalin release. He sighed with the onset of defeat threatening. "Okay-okay. I don't know what you're getting all worked up about, but I'll figure it out." He set the kettle on a spot in the center of the four stove burners.

"Kyu." Q-Chan stated serenely, and laced the tiny fingers of his paws together.

Renewed hope seemed to spark in his expression, and he felt himself relaxing again. "Wait a minute for it to cool down?" Leon stated the unexpected thought that suddenly surfaced in his mind and was starting to wonder if he was still in bed—dreaming.

Q-Chan almost looked a bit pompous when he closed his eyes and nodded his fluffy little head with a pleased expression.

Leon frowned slightly with uncertainty clouding his blue eyes, "Um, okay, then I guess I'll just have to wait for you t'let me know when it's okay t'pour it." He was feeling anxious again, not completely aware that not knowing how to make tea this way was causing him a sense of self-contempt.

Q-Chan looked up into Leon's face for a moment, noting a strange look of pain in the detective's eyes, and then turned to consider the kettle for a moment.

To T-Chan's sudden delight, Leon had resumed purposefully working at the muscles in his neck. The human's fingertips pressed in towards the bone, then released and moved in tight circles before repeating their movement.

"Kyu," Q-Chan alerted after about a minute.

"Cool," Leon responded with relief, and reached for the kettle again, pouring the water carefully into the top of the teapot.

"Damn," T-Chan grumbled softly. His tail twitched faintly with annoyance, but didn't seem to be noticed.

"Oh, I wouldn't be too upset, if I were you," Ten-Chan's voice floated teasingly up to T-Chan's ears from just below him.

T-Chan opened his eyes to find the kitsune smirking up at him smugly. "Says you," he grumbled further discontent.

Ten-Chan merely gave him his signature grin. "Ah, my friend, but just think what kind of affect the caffeine is going to have on his work."

T-Chan's tail-tip twitched with anticipated pleasure. "I like the way you think sometimes." His eyes sparkled dreamily.

"Why, Detective…I had no idea you knew the slightest thing about making tea." Count D's grandson had managed yet again to appear out of nowhere, as if able to materialize right out of thin air. His mismatched eyes glittered above a playful smirk.

For some reason, it hadn't occurred to Leon that D might wake and come into the kitchen to catch him making a mess. His heart began racing, and he suddenly thought of his father. "Uh…I…s-sorry." His face went gray with overwhelming anxiety. "I should've asked before invadin' your kitchen." His heart felt like it would either stop or burst.

"Leon—" Count D's grandson was suddenly frowning with worry that Leon hadn't seen since he'd gotten out of the hospital after nearly being shot to death. In a swift, but ever graceful movement, he'd gone to the table and slid one of the chairs over to Leon, tugging his guest's free arm down to compel him to sit. "Did you even manage to sleep at all last night?" He pressed the palm of one hand gently to Leon's forehead.

Leon felt horribly unbalanced, expecting D to be angry at him for being in his kitchen cooking, but instead, having those strange eyes alert and highly focused on him with genuine concern. It was something he wouldn't admit, even to himself. He squirmed in the chair, trying, unconsciously to hide in it. The strange sensation of relief and gratitude didn't help him feel much steadier either. "Yeah, I slept fine after you put the frogs in the room."

Count D's grandson stilled, and then raised an eyebrow after studying Leon's troubled and exhaustion wracked face, "I'm glad their presence helped you rest, then," he replied almost hesitantly.

"What's wrong?" Leon's gut feeling was going off telling him that something was rattling his host. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought D didn't look like he knew what he was talking about when he mentioned the frogs.

The pause before Count D's grandson chose how to respond was almost imperceptible, almost. "To be honest, Leon, I don't believe you should be going to work today in your condition."

Leon's face flinched into lines of agitation. "I've lost sleep before…and it's not like I'm pregnant," he grumbled.

Fine black eyebrows climbed heavenward, the eyes below them dancing with amusement. "Heaven help us all if you ever are…your normal disposition is challenging enough." He smiled warmly down at his scowling guest and turned to pour the freshly made tea into the waiting cups.

The detective had the strongest urge to stick his tongue out at his host, but settled for a grimace and a slight snort.

"Kyu kyu kyu kyu kyu kyu." Q-Chan piped up enthusiastically.

The smile on Count D's grandson's lips deepened. "Really?" His eyes focused on the liquid filling the cups. With a curious tilt of his head, he leaned over one of them, closed his eyes for a moment, and drew in a deep breath. He turned to smile at Leon appraisingly. "You did quite well for you first time making tea."

Leon was suddenly reminded that he may have crossed a line, even in his book, by making things in D's kitchen without consent.

D watched his guest's face, and noticed a dullness settling in the usually sharp blue eyes. He took one of the filled cups and placed it in the detective's free hand. "Here. You probably actually need this."

"Guys, I think you're gonna have eggs with your rice this morning." Leon smirked, but took an eager sip of the hot liquid.

Count D's grandson was use to T-Chan preparing rice in the morning, but it suddenly occurred to him that with Leon in the kitchen, he couldn't have done that without…raising questions. "Leon, did you make the rice as well."

Leon went gray again, swallowing a lump of dread down. "Uh…I…yeah." His voice was tight with honest contrition, and his eyes downcast. "Sorry." His voice seemed almost meek.

D moved to stand in front of Leon as closely as he could, and boldly reached a hand under the young man's chin to urge it upward. "Leon? What's wrong?"

Wondering eyes were searching his when Leon dared to raise his head and look at D. It was one of those painful-relieving moments. The Count's grandson could word a question that somehow ensnared a troubling thought or feeling that he hadn't been able to single out and identify on his own. "I'm not suppose to…be in the kitchen." He finally managed to turn the feeling into a statement. "I wasn't suppose to get under foot when mom was doing housework."

The hair on one side of D's head draped downward like a wind-touched curtain, and flowed over his jaw-line on the other side like a raven-black stream when he tilted his head. "Even if you wished to help her do the housework?"

Leon nearly flinched back, slight outrage flared in his eyes. "That's when I got told not t'bother her when she was doin' it." His body seemed to sag with shame, and then he sighed heavily, drinking more of his tea with a look of grim resignation.

D nodded with the new understanding. "Then…it is not a matter of housework diminishing your masculinity?"

"Hell no! A grown man oughtta know how t'take care of himself!" He remembered being angry that he hadn't been allowed to learn all the little things his mother did that made it possible to get the housework done so efficiently. He also remembered being ashamed at being angry…with his father. He felt stupid for even getting angry, and felt angry about feeling stupid. Every time he made up his mind to clean up his apartment, he suddenly felt like he should go and do something else, as though someone might show up and disapprove of his activities. It was all like a losing battle, no matter which way he turned.

A new admiration seemed to spark in D's eyes . "You have a strong sense of refraining from doing that which you believe is wrong, despite how strongly you desire to do it anyway. Doesn't it make sense that you would feel uncomfortable doing something that your parents had instructed you not to do?"

It was like a string of related thoughts and feelings had suddenly become untangled for Leon. "Yeah." A new light seemed to glow brightly in his eyes at the revelation.

"You're more than welcome to learn to cook here, Leon, and I'd never turn down any help with the household chores, except for right now." D's hands slid to the hand Leon was holding his cup with and gently pushed up a little closer to the detective's mouth. "You need rest…and to finish your tea." He was smiling now with a sincere kindness that Leon could actually distinguish.

Leon seemed to search the eyes looking into his for reassurance. "You're really not mad?" He nearly held his breath after asking the question.

D's eyes slid closed for a moment, and he shook his head slowly, true warmth in his smile as he looked again into Leon's eyes and answered. "Not at all, my Dear Detective."

Something in Leon's voice reminded T-Chan's instincts of the lost, uncertain sound of his kind's offspring. Being nearly extinct, totetsu parents both took part in nurturing their young. Without thought, the young T-Chan reacted to the sound of Leon's distress. He began licking Leon's forearm in long, unhurried strokes meant to soothe.

The dark brow line climbed again when D's eyes were drawn by T-Chan repetitive movement.

"Hey!" Leon's astonished eyes widened and shot downward to see what was happening to his arm. T-Chan's rough tongue scraping his skin was like an itch on the verge of becoming an unnerving tickle. He was fairly powerless to stop T-Chan's actions. His one hand was holding a cup full of hot tea, and the other was holding his assailant. "What'r y'**_doin_**'?"

Count D's grandson brought an elegant hand to his mouth and chuckled softly. "I believe you've been adopted, my dear Detective."

Leon grinned wryly. "Great. Now I got a mother hen…and a kid brother."

T-Chan's eyes snapped open fully in shock, and he froze in mid-lick. For those looking directly at him, being Ten-Chan at that moment, the sight was utterly comical.

Ten-Chan's head dropped between his shoulders, and would sound to Leon as though he were letting out a long series of grunts.

His eyes still fixed on Leon's, D missed the spectacle that T-Chan had made of himself, and assumed Ten-Chan's laughter was at the comment the detective had just made. "Well! I suppose the title of mother hen should be greatly preferable to that of 'were-chicken'.

Leon's only response was to raise an eyebrow and hide his grin behind his teacup while he emptied it.

D smiled and held his hand out for the empty cup. "Would you like some more tea, Detective?"

Thinking a moment before he relinquished the cup, Leon shook his head and unconsciously started on T-Chan's neck again. "Nah. I need t'shower and get my ass back t'work."

The heat from the tea had gone out of the cup and into Leon's fingers, and was soaking out from them into T-Chan's skin. It was a new sensation for him, which he found himself deeply enjoying. "PRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—". His eyes drifted shut again.

"I'll have breakfast ready for you when you're done, then," D told Leon after a chuckle at T-Chan's expense.

Leon took the announcement to mean that D thought he was capable of standing on his feet again. "Sorry, dude," he told T-Chan as he deposited him on the seat of the chair he was vacating. "I gotta get ready."

T-Chan let out a little moan of disappointment, but remained curled up on the seat of the chair to soak up the heat Leon had left behind. He listened to the sound of Leon's bare feet moving across the kitchen floor and out the corridor.

"T-Chan, would you mind fixing some eggs for Leon, while I go make a quick phonecall. He should be in the shower long enough."

T-Chan lifted his head in slight surprise. "Huh?" The question finally sank in and he blinked, "Uh—yeah, sure. I got it." The corner of his mouth twitched up slightly.

D smiled warmly at the bright expression on the young totetsu's face. "Thank you, my friend." With that, he drifted out of the kitchen in his usual graceful manner.

The young totetsu watched Count D's grandson depart and then frowned in thought. "Hmmm. With the kinda heat that guy cranks out, his metabolism needs somethin' more to burn than just eggs and rice!" In a moment, he became a culinary tornado, yanking things out of cupboards and the refrigerator, chopping, stirring, and cleaning. By the time Leon turned off the water, T-Chan had seared pieces of sirloin in ghee with fresh garlic, sliced green onions and ginger. When the meat had browned, he sprinkled in some soy sauce and red pepper flakes, then tossed in some of the rice. When the rice was well coated, he dumped it all onto a plate and was soon sliding three perfectly cooked sunny-side-up eggs on top of the mixture. His pride wouldn't let him quit until he'd garnished the center of the eggs with a dollop of chili sauce and sliced scallions.

When Count D's grandson returned to the kitchen, his eyes widened with delight. "Why, T-Chan! How thoughtful of you. Our dear Detective should be very pleased."

"Thoughtful-shmotful," T-Chan grumbled theatrically. "If you ever give me permission to eat that bozo, I want there t'be something to actually chew on besides bones." He huffed and then curled onto one of the seats at the table.

* * *


	21. Phantom and Angel PART 19

* * *

CHAPTER 9

PHANTOM AND ANGEL

PART 19

* * *

"Mm-MM! Somethin smells f—abulous!" Leon tried to show his appreciation by being more careful about his language.

D's eyes seemed to twinkle all the brighter when he recognized the detective's efforts and smiled warmly. "T-Chan wants there to be more on you...should the day come that I allow him to eat you."

Leon froze a step away from the table and stared at him for moment. "T-J-S-W" he said finally, and then bent down to scoop T-Chan up in his arms again before sitting down on the seat that the totetsu had kept warm.

T-Chan was so focused on Leon's reaction to the dish he'd made for the human, that he hadn't thought twice about being picked up and put back down…on Leon's shower-heated lap. "Mmmmmm-" he groaned in pleasure.

"Wow." Leon felt an unexpected movement of emotion in his chest and simply stared at the dish while unconsciously working at T-Chan's neck. "Thanks, D." He released T-Chan's neck and picked up the fork to tuck into his breakfast. "Too bad I don't have the time t'really enjoy it."

"Actually, you do," D replied pleasantly. "I called your chief and told him you haven't been sleeping enough to function safely."

Leon's blue eyes blinked into icy alertness. "..and?" The detective's voice was tightly containing an explosion of rage.

D's head tilted to one side slightly, as if the memory of the phone conversation with Leon's chief had been quite interesting. "He said that he'd been suspecting that for the past two days and to tell you that you have the choice of either taking enough time off to rest properly…" he seemed to pause to indulge in a little suspense.

"—or?" Leon's eyes were fixed murderously on his host.

"…or submitting yourself to an examination at the hospital." There was the faintest hint of amusement at the very idea of such a scene.

Leon's fork clattered into his plate as he let it slip out of his fingers to drop his head onto the heel of his hand. "Lovely," he croaked before shutting his eyes in resignation.

For some reason, the lack of Leon's usual string of obscenities when he was angry seemed more disturbing to T-Chan than the expected ranting. Not knowing what else to do, he tried again to soothe the detective by licking at the skin on the inside of the arm that was holding him.

Leon reacted to the sensation with a slight jolt, and looked down to see the warm mound of fur serenely busy with lapping at the inside of his elbow. "You better hope I got all the soap rinsed off me there, dude," he murmured with a renewed warmth in his voice.

T-Chan paused, as if to consider what Leon had said, and pulled his tongue back into his mouth long enough to make sure there actually was no soap on it. Once satisfied, he swished his tale in approval, and went back to work.

After a short sigh, Leon let out a soft chuckle, smiling brightly when an idea emerged into his troubled mind. "Well, since I've got the day off now, can I take T-dude out for a ride?"

Count D's grandson seemed to turn the idea over in his mind. "Hmmm—I suppose that's actually a good idea. Yes, detective. You may take T-Chan out for a ride—after you've taken a nap."

"A WHA—"Leon practically squeeked.

D's eyes seemed to tease and dare argument at the same time. "You wouldn't want T-Chan to experience the trauma of a car accident just because you neglected to take better care of yourself, would you, Leon?"

Leon lowered his gaze to look down at a now-trusting T-Chan with a slight sense of shame. "Uh-no." He swallowed a lump of pride down, determined to keep an unspoken promise that he'd made to his new ally of getting out of the shop for awhile. "Um, how long?"

The pet shop keeper's eyes seemed to ignite with a new fondness, and then examine an invisible schedule in front of them. "I'd say, perhaps four hours should be sufficient."

Leon scrunched his mouth to one side of his face in thought, before agreeing reluctantly. "Okay."

The young totetsu's stomach was unexpectedly doing flip-flops. Leon did _not_ sound like he liked the idea of taking a nap…but was agreeing to it in order to be allowed to take T-Chan out for a ride. Could it really mean that much to this human? He rose, not sure quite what to do at first, but finally decided to reach over the table, get Leon's dropped fork, and hold it out for him.

Leon looked down and completely forgot his indignation. "Are you hungry, T-dude?" He took the fork and speared the biggest chunk of sirloin visible. "Here." He held the piece of meat in front of T-Chan's mouth.

T-Chan reached out (with a forepaw, to Leon's eyes) and pushed the fork-holding hand up towards its owner's mouth.

Leon's brow climbed at the teddy-goat's action, then he smirked. "I get it. Y'want me t'hurry up and eat, so I can get done with my nap and get us out of here for a while, right?"

T-Chan lowered himself back down on Leon's lap with a satisfied swish of his tail and rested his chin on Leon's arm. His stomach still fluttered with repressed excitement that he wasn't about to let anyone see. He closed his eyes and began formulating a plan to make it look like he was training the detective to do his bidding.

Leon chuckled low in his throat, and then let out a grunt of surprise when he popped the first breakfast morsel into his mouth and started chewing. "Unh!" The next sound he made almost sounded like a groan of pain.

T-Chan sat up instantly, unexpectedly worried that something was wrong with the human.

"Leon? What is it? Did you burn your mouth?" D rushed over to the detective.

The totetsu looked down at the plate, confused at the absence of visible heat. "Burned? But, there should've been plenty of time for it to cool…" T-Chan murmured in distress.

"Mm-mm! Vif iv affavuwee awfung," Leon declared around the rather large piece of partially-chewed meat.

An ever familiar smirk returned to the corners of D's mouth. "I take it you were just trying to say, 'This is absolutely awesome.' "

Leon nodded vigorously with a boyish gleam of enthusiasm in his eyes, and simultaneously resumed chewing.

D let out an almost musical chuckle of his own. "We're very glad you think so, isn't that right, T-Chan," he fixed his eyes on T-Chan and reached a hand to stroke the top of the young totetsu's head.

T-Chan sank back down in relief and swished his tail again in satisfaction. "As long as he can get me away from the wailing brats for a few hours, I'm good," he said, trying to seem aloof.

"I want some rice," Pon-Chan announced, feeling a little ignored.

"Of course," D said brightly, and went over to take two bowls from the cupboard over the counter. He spooned a small mound of rice into one bowl, and filled the other to half way with water, then set it on the opposite end of the table from Leon. He turned to scoop Pon-Chan up and set her in front of the bowls so that she could face their guest.

"It looks like it came out just right," the little tanooki affirmed happily.

D smiled warmly, "I hope you'll forgive me, Detective, but I must get to the business of running the shop. Do enjoy your breakfast, though." He touched Leon's back, lightly, before exiting the kitchen.

Leon swallowed, "Thanks," he told his host, before giving Poh-Chan a wink of encouragement, and quickly filling his mouth again. "Mmmmmmmm."

"It would seem that you've picked up quite a bit on the human art of saying little and telling less." Ten-Chan's smug voice commented from right next to the chair.

The kitsune's voice had abruptly brought T-Chan back from his brief ego-trip that he'd been on while listening to the sounds of enjoyment Leon was making as he ate. "Maybe," he replied after a moment of thought. "It's not nearly as useful as what I picked up about the staining affects of food coloring."

Ten-Chan blinked, pupils shrinking in sudden terror. "I think I should go make sure the Count is safe, since you seem to be taking the day off as well." He forced a dazzling smile as he backed out from under the table before turning and rushing out the door that D had disappeared through.

T-Chan unhurriedly opened one eye to confirm that the smartass kitsune had, in fact, left them in peace. "You do that," he murmured sweetly. He closed his one open eye and went back to enjoying the sounds of Leon and Pon-Chan having their breakfast together.

* * *


	22. Phantom and Angel PART 20

T-Chan let his mind drift aimlessly. With his eyes closed, his ears filled with sounds that had not too long ago ingited a sense of triumph and anticipation.

The faint tapping and scraping of a high-quality silver fork against a china plate, and the soft grunts and hums of pleasure were the equivalent to the sharp tug on an experienced fisherman's line. There was a difference this time, or maybe many differences tied together.

Leon didn't know that it was T-Chan who had specially made the breakfast dish that he was obviously enjoying, yet Leon wanted to do something with him that he thought T-Chan would enjoy. T-Chan hadn't needed to bait and lure this human with his culinary skills to get time alone with him. He couldn't eat him, either…not that he really wanted to now.

Leon was going to give back at least some access to the world that he had yanked away from him. And Leon had started calling him T-dude, rather than "the freaky goat thing", or "Goatzilla".

T-dude. Leon somehow managed to reinstate a hunter-quality to his renaming…or nicknaming.

T-dude…

"Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr—" The sound of satisfaction came out of T-Chan without conscious intent.

Leon stopped eating, leaned back in his chair and peered down at his living lap-warmer. "You sure y'don't want some of this b'fore I kill it off completely?" He speared another large chunk of the sirloin and offered it to T-Chan.

T-Chan responded with a rather mischievous look in his eyes and slipped his nose under Leon's hand which he gave an upward nudge. He sealed his wordless message by slipping his head gracefully down to the arm that Leon was "holding" him with and began dragging his rough tongue along the inside length of it in slow repetition.

Leon chuckled through his nose, his blue eyes sparkling warmly with amusement. "I'll take that as a: 'shut-up-and-finish-eating'". He guided the piece of sirloin into his own mouth while still looking down at T-Chan with a grin.

"Y'know, T-dude," Leon mused out loud after actually waiting to swallow his food, "I _REALLY _don't get why the hell D was pay'n Wong t'cook for'im! Seems t'me like he can cook just as damn-good as that uber-psycho did."

T-Chan simply answered by closing his eyes and continuing his 'work' with a renewed sense of pride. "Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr—"

For Leon Orcot, breakfast was usually coffee and donuts, coffee and toasted frozen waffles, coffee and toaster pastries, coffee and fast-food bacon or sausage flavored salt sandwiches, and sometimes, cola and left-over pizza. For Leon Orcot, those were the "good" breakfasts.

Now, the dectective's body was settling into a state of near-euphoria from the high-quality protein and complex carbohydrates. His fork lightly clattered to a rest on the empty plate, and he eased back against the chair with his full weight and brought his newly-freed hand to the back of T-Chan's neck. He let out a hum-mixed sigh of satisfaction and gave the totetsu's neck a few careful rubs.

T-Chan was actually surprised when Leon stood up and set him back on the warmed seat of the chair.

"Gonna take care of the dishes before goin back t'bed," Leon announced pleasantly as he picked up his plate and reached for Pon-Chan's empty bowl. "I'll take that as a BIG compliment from you, babe." He grinned down at the little tanookie as she watched his movements with a rather satisfied look of her own. With his free hand, he picked up the empty bowl which Pon-Chan's left-over water was in and nested it inside the empty identical bowl her rice had been in.

Pon-Chan screeched indignantly when Leon turned his back to her to head for the sink, "Wait for me!"

Leon turn his head to see what was wrong and saw Pon-Chan looking over the side of the table as if trying to gauge her distance from the floor.

With a slight feeling of panic, Leon quickly came up with the idea to pull the nearest chair out by snagging one of its legs with his foot. "There ya go, baby. That help?"

Pon-Chan broke out in a bubbly giggle of enthusiasm and let herself down to the seat of the chair and from there to the floor. "Thank you," she said as she looked up at him with dancing brown eyes.

"Well, let's get to it, then," Leon twitched his head towards the sink and then started in that direction again.

Q-Chan had been dozing on top of the counter by the stove, soaking in the warmth given off by the pot of rice sitting on the back burner. The little sounds of Leon at the sink motivated him to pull his eyes open to see what was happening.

Leon dumped the water out of Pon-Chan's bowl in a swish and then set all of the dishes on the counter next to the sink. He quickly spotted the natural sponge resting by the water tap handles, but didn't see any familiar dish-soap bottles, even in the cupboard under the sink. After a moment of feeling quite perplexed, the idea finally came to him to smell the sponge in his hand. He needed to look for something that smelled lemon-y. Of course. "Got any idea where the dish soap is, baby?" Leon looked down at Pon-Chan a bit embarrassed.

Pon-Chan pulled open one of the cupboard doors below the sink and pointed to a ceramic sugar bowl which Leon had dismissed in his mind as being there because there was no room for it anywhere else. Leon lifted the lid to find a syrupy liquid that had a small ceramic ladle sitting in it which matched the bowl.

"Bet it's organic," he said with a smirk. As he closed the cupboard door and set the sugar bowl near the water tap, he looked around the kitchen for something he hadn't thought to look for until now: anything with plastic. "Shoulda guessed," he said to himself when his brief search didn't turn up even one item that even had plastic on it. Even the catch-tray under the wooden dish-draining rack to the right of the sink was molded glass.

The detective let out a soft laugh and then quickly washed the two bowls, plate, teacup, fork, and spoon, then put the dish cleaning liquid back where he'd found it after setting them in the drainer. His face pulled into to a new perplexed frown when the pot of rice on the stove drew his attention. "Should I put the rice in the fridge?" The idea visibly bothered him, because he knew the pot was still fairly hot.

"Kyu-kyu-kyu," Q-Chan waved a tiny, dismissive paw and shook his head serenely.

Leon looked at him skeptically, "Okay, then. But if D bitches about it, you better have my back," he warned teasingly.

* * *

A/N: Apologies for taking so long with postings to this and my other stories.


	23. Phantom and Angel PART 21

DEVELOPMENTS - CHAPTER 23

Phantom And Angel PART 21

* * *

T-Chan had rested his head on one arm and closed his eyes, hearing the sounds in the kitchen once more without really listening.

Once Leon was done tidying up, he went over to T-Chan and scooped him up before heading back to the guest bedroom.

T-Chan didn't realize what was about to happen, until his eyes registered the human's shadow looming over him before feeling warm, strong hands and arms slip gracefully under and around him and lift him up. "Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr."

Again, the young totetsu heard Leon chuckling, almost giggling boyishly, through his nose. The sound if it was growing increasingly music-like and was causing his hair to stand on end slightly before he realized that the change in the detective's laugh was giving him a strange sense of pleasure. It wasn't the smug or cynical tone that he was use to hearing come out of the human. It was warm, and...fond? His tail twitched in an unintentional swish of satisfaction.

His eyes remained closed as the detective strolled leisurely through the corridors. He didn't even bother trying to open them when he felt the human pulling the covers down of the re-made bed and lie down with him held to the lean, muscular chest. A large, strong hand was kneading at the muscles between his shoulders in small circles, triggering another long pur out of him and rhythmic swishing of his tail. The thudding of the human's heart slowed and softened, becoming almost hypnotic along with the steady wind-like movement of air being breathed in and out. It was another, fainter, but persistent sound that compelled T-Chan to open his eyes and look up at the detective's face.

Uncertain, blue eyes were looking down at him. The sound had been that of those eyes blinking steadily in deep thought. He tilted his head in questioning, wondering what could be making the human look at him so searchingly.

"I hope this only means you're just getting use t'me and not to people in general," Leon said suddenly, as if reading the totetsu's mind.

T-Chan tilted his head imediately to the other side, wondering what that particular statement was suppose to mean.

Again, it was as though Leon was answering the question in his mind. "Just before D...uh...I guess 'adopted' you, he nearly got himself murdered by this psycho chef named Wong-right in the damn guest parlor he serves customers tea in." The detective looked up at the ceiling and let out a long sigh of distress. "If I hadn't showed up just in time, that would've been the end of D." He looked down into T-Chan's attentive face again, "And who knows where you'd be right now if that had happened," he added dismally with an unconscious caress of the totetsu's jaw with a gentle thumb. His mouth twitched to the side suddenly in a fond smirk. "Was kinda hopin when I first got t'know you, you'd be able t'protect that idiot-let anybody'n their dog just let themselves into his home-grandson of Count D's." Looking back up towards the ceiling, he took a deep breath and let it out in an exasperated huff.

"Kyu! Kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu!!!" Q-Chan suddenly screeched at Leon.

"Oh yeah? Well what do YOU call someone who does something idiotic enough that pretty much adds up to putting his own head down on the chopping block for psychotic murderers?"

Q-Chan blinked and then raised his eyebrows, "Kyukyukyu?" His fuzzy little face beamed at Leon with feigned innocence.

Leon's eyes narrowed sternly, "'DETECTIVE?!' Why you little--" his hand moved in a flash from T-Chan's back to Q-Chan's furry little side, just before digging a finger into the spot of fur beneith the tiny arm.

Q-Chan let out a shrill sqeak before falling on his back with legs kicking frantically as Leon continued to burrow the tip of his finger into the little creature's side. The little wolvetinger squeeked, squirmed and kicked helplessly until the detective stopped tickling him. Catching his breath, he got back to his feet and stared at Leon in disbelief.

"That outta teach ya t'be smart-alek-y with me," he smirked wickedl at Q-Chan.

* * *

T-Chan watched the comical little scene in stunned silence. Like pieces of a puzzle, he tried to fit together what Leon had said about hoping T-Chan would act as a protector to Count D's grandson, and the fact that he had acted with such animosity towards him until now. Why?

Like he was hunting for challenging prey, the young totetsu replayed everything Leon had just said back in his mind...and then, it somehow clicked.

Leon evidently knew more about animals than he allowed himself to reveal. Of course...pets that were use to human strangers who normally turned out to be friendly became almost complacent to any stranger's arrival. Damn, and here he'd always assumed that the detective was being stupid for behaving like such an ill-tempered menace at the shop. It was almost diabolical: give the 'pets' in the shop a reason to be wary of humans, even if they were familiar--in order to give Count D's grandson more protection...

Leon moved his arm back down to let his hand rest on T-Chan's back and turned his eyes back up to the ceiling.

T-Chan carefully shifted so that he was half way on Leon's side and began dragging his tongue up the inside of the detective's forearm in leisurely repetition.

Loen glanced down in surprise and a soft laugh escaped through his nose. He let out a sigh of pleased resignation before resuming his study of the ceiling.

It wasn't very long before keen totetsu senses picked up the soft sound of Leon's eyes shutting in time with each stroke of T-Chan's tongue against the soft skin of the detective's inner arm. A few moments later, the sound of Leon's eyes openning and closing stopped and his breathing softened and slowed.

Leon's eyes were closed now, but there was still a troubled expression lingering on his face.

T-Chan got up to examine the human pensively, and began to suspect that Leon's persistent unease was directly related to his concern for the safety of Count D's grandson.

The movement seemed to trigger Leon's eyes snapping open with forced alertness. "What's up, T?" The human's voice was already groggy and tinged with newly ignited worry.

Staring back at the blue eyes fixed on him, he made up his mind and caught a hold of the top of the comforter to pull it up further, covering the detective more properly.

Leon raised an eyebrow, "What? I'm not soft enough to be a good pillow?"

T-Chan simply gave him a brief, impish look---and started shoving the bedding under the detective's side.

Leon's eyes widened in astonishment as he watched the little goat creature 'digging' the comforter further under him with his paws. "You are NOT doing what I THINK---"

Before the disbelieving human could finish his sentence, T-Chan finished with the one side and then climbed over to the other side to do the same. Once done, he looked back at the detective's stunned face.

Q-Chan broke into a squeeky little giggle fit next to Leon's head, covering his mouth with tiny paws.

Leon cast Q-Chan a quick scowl, and then looked at T-Chan in consterantion. "What gives, dude?" His head turned from side to side then, as he stuggled with the inarguable realization that he'd just been 'tucked' into bed.

T-Chan simply got off the bed and headed for the door, stopping only to turn to Q-Chan, "Can you handle Prince Charming by yourself for a while?"

Leon turned his head to look at Q-Chan just as the little fluff ball nodded sagely in response to T-Chan's 'growls'. He somehow sensed that T-Chan was letting Q-Chan know that he was headed back to where D was. His head snapped back to face T-Chan. "Aw-quit your stalling and get your slackin' ass back t'work," he said with a pleased smirk.

T-Chan simply snorted with a smug glance at the human and left the room to find Count D's grandson.

* * *


	24. Phantom and Angel PART 22

Phantom and Angel – Chapter 24

Count D's grandson wasn't in the guest parlor when T-Chan finally made it there. A few of his housemates were lounging in their favorite spots, giving him amused glances, but not disturbing the near silence with any sort of taunting.

That left the large antique grandfather clock the only source of noise in the room. Each tick from it bit the air with a sudden ring of dense metal cog locking into the next position and carved, varnished teakwood softening the sharp note of impact into a low, rich thrum. The upholstered furniture, pillows, carpets, and thick curtains all around worked together to absorb the sound and keep any echoes of the last from diminishing the next.

The sound drew T-Chan's attention to the pale alabaster face holding a perfect circle of perfect Roman numerals made of inlaid obsidian. He saw the second-hand move slightly with each tick that reached his ears, and his insides twisted in a sudden jolt of impatience and worry. The next four hours were going to be four separate volumes of eternity to him, but was it going to be enough time for Leon to get the rest he badly needed?

T-Chan's body gave a slight, involuntary flinch at the last unexpected part of his thought. He glanced around anxiously and was grateful that the others in the room were no longer paying the slightest bit of attention to him.

As inconspicuously as he could, T-Chan fled to the one place in the shop where time had no meaning to him. There in the kitchen, only half-unexpectedly, he found Count D's grandson standing at the sink and holding the plate Leon had eaten off of up to his beautiful, bewildered face.

T-Chan froze in his tracks, confused, at first, by Count D's perplexed state, and catching the end fragment of Pon-Chan's narration.

"He asked me where the dish-soap was, and I opened the cupboard and showed him, and then he cleaned them all by himself!" The little tanooki's words were filled with triumph and adoration.

Ten-Chan was standing at Pon-Chan's side, arms folded across his chest, and a smirk of approval mixed with smugness curved one side of his lips artistically. His head turned ever so slightly so that his thickly amused eyes could meet with the totetsu's.

For a few seconds, T-Chan's face mimicked the same bewilderment as the pet shop's keeper. The totetsu eyes flitted back to Count D's grandson, blinked once, filled with the light of comprehension, and rolled back into his head just before their lids clamped tightly shut. The rest of T-Chan's body crumpled to the floor on one side, curling in on itself, then twitched as his lungs drew in a sudden rush of air.

The only movement the other three were able to make at that moment was to widen their own eyes in astonishment. Just as they were all about to rush to T-Chan's aid, they were frozen again by the unexpected sound of a long, hysterical shriek of laughter that started coming out of him.

Ten-Chan's eye's narrowed in understanding, and he began laughing as well, although, not with as much enthusiasm as his friend.

Pon-Chan, too, seemed to get the joke soon afterward and began giggling with utter delight.

Count D's grandson, however, was still not seeing the 'punch-line', and his face tightened slightly in annoyance. "Oh! Honestly, children. What in the world could be so—"

T-Chan startled the shop keeper back into silence when he suddenly looked up into his face and reached out one arm to point at him. "Only Detective Leon Orcot could shake your hold on reality—BY DOING DISHES!!!" He went completely limp again, with the exception of laugh-induced convulsions.


End file.
